Categories > Movies > High School Musical > So-Jessica-Alba-Fantastic
It was early and early was never good on Sunday afternoons, especially for Zac. He felt the light trying to twinkle its way into his dark room and pulled the sheet up and over his head, blocking out all of it. He just wanted to sleep for another half hour, that was all he was asking for before getting called in to the studio for a prep session for tomorrow. Tomorrow was when the hustle and bustle would begin, when all the recruits they had chosen to become the next new Rockers would all be in one room, singing their hearts out and trying to impress all four of them plus the managers into thinking that they were the ones that belonged in the group. No, Zac did not want to deal with that right now, all he wanted to do was sleep one more hour. He needed it, definitely needed it. He was over tired and wished that one tiny half hour would cure him, but then one of his best friends had to ruin the moment.
“How on earth are you still in bed?!” Ashley popped her head into his bedroom and woke up all the way up. He stared at her silhouette frame from inside the blue striped sheet and groaned inwardly. He knew it was a bad idea giving her that spare key. Should’ve stuck with Monique. “Come on, get up! It’s almost 3,” she started to poke at his bare feet underneath the warmth of the sheet and he kicked at her hands.
“Quit it,” he yelled at her as she laughed at him. “Sleep, good.”
“Yes, sleep is good, but guess what else is?” Ashley asked the rhetorical question and he knew he was getting in deeper with her by the second. Pulling back the covers down below his head and exposing the chiseled chest his personal trainer would be proud of, he could honestly say that this was so like Ashley. “Sunshine!” She yanked on the blind cord and nearly blinded him from the sight of the sun reflecting off the patio in his backyard. “So, wake up, get up, shower,” she sniffed the air for affect, “yes, definitely shower.”
“I want my key back,” he bluntly said deserving the cheesiest smile she had in her.
“Never. I gave the Sammie the day off, like you should’ve done Friday when we got back and she was sleeping in the spare room. You overwork her, you know that right?” Ashley followed him into the larger bathroom of the three in his home and watched him turn on the shower.
“I should be taking this advice from you?”
“Well, yeah, why wouldn’t you?”
“Because aren’t you the one who screwed over Raul?”
“Hey!” Ashley spat at him. “That wasn’t fair and it was all…”
“Rachel’s fault,” Zac finished her sentence like most times. It was a weird sense that the remaining four had always had between each other. Creepy sometimes, but most, it was comforting. “I know, just wanted you to shut up so I can take my shower.”
“One of these days, I am so going to get you.”
“Place and time, Ash. Place and time,” Zac flung out his arms as she slipped back out the door long enough for him to slip off his boxers and into the steaming shower. The hot liquid streamed down his bare skin, awakening senses that he had not used for two days since their return to Los Angeles. Dipping down his head to let the running water waterfall over his darkened hair, he closed his eyes again, still wanting his extra hour of sleep. All he could think about though was every single one of the 30 finalists they had selected and the anticipation running through each one of their bodies. Him, well, he was just worried about the schedules. They had dealt with busy schedules mostly all of their careers, but this time it was going to be so much different. Especially if Drew and Manda were turning this thing into a primetime special at the end of the week.
Turning around to rake his hands through the sopping hair on his head, Zac quickly cleaned himself up. Ashley was right, he did stink and he could definitely use a shower. Stepping out merely ten minutes later, he pulled on a pair of jeans laying on his bedroom floor – Ashley would never know – and a spare shirt from his dresser and made his way out to the living room where he stood silent as soon as he saw his blonde friend.
She was dancing to her own beat and song – all around the living room and cleaning up for him in the process. It was always kind of ironic to Zac that Rachel and Chris were the ones to break out of the band first and well, so far make their careers successful. He had always thought that if any of them, Ashley would be the one to hit the world by storm solo. Hands down, she had the strongest voice out of all of them and had captured the world’s hearts already by singing to many of the world’s leaders last summer. Leaning up against the corner of the wall, he watched her silently and laughed as she popped out some hip-hop moves that one of their many choreographers had tried to teach them for their concerts. Needless to say, they just walk around the stage most times. The only one who was a born dancer was Monique and yeah, that girl can dance. Letting a little chuckle escape him, Ashley turned around to deliver her world class ‘try-Me-Efron’ glare, the one he was now immune to. “Place and time, Ash,” he laughed and walked his way over to the kitchen, searching for something edible to eat in his sorry excuse for a fridge.
“How about now?” she said, pulling herself up on one of the stools by the island.
“I’m always up for a good game of twenty questions. Me first?”
“No, me. Ladies first, Efron,” she reminded him as he handed her a bottle of water that he predicted she would ask for after he shut the door. Zac watched her with her messy ponytail as she bit her lip, trying to think of the most annoying question in her smart brain.
“Ash!”
“Patience is a virtue, Zac.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t take ten minutes to think of an annoying question that you’re going to ask. Me first,” he said, standing up straight to pour another cup of coffee from the corner bistro that Sammie had set up for him. “What’s going on with you and Drew?”
“I’ve got one…wait, what?”
“You heard me loud and clear,” Zac smiled and took the spare stool next to her, bringing the cup closer to his lips. “You and Drew, what’s going on?”
“Uh, nothing…” Ashley stammered for a moment and looked back at him. “Nothing.”
“Sure, we all see it Ash…”
“And I am so ready for Monday!” Monique’s loud and very energetic voice caught their attention from the foyer. As she strutted into the living room, she was followed by a worn out looking Lucas and Drew, with two binders in his hands. “Come on, come on, let’s get this over with so I can drag Lucas and Zac back out to that club and make them wish they were dead again.”
A smile and laugh under his breath, Zac swiveled on his stool and looked back up at Ashley, who only gave him a half smile before joining the others in the living room. The interruption may have cut off their game, but he was more than determined to finish it. “I thought we were gonna do this at the studio?” Zac questioned, falling into the seat next to Monique and looked at her for a moment before turning to Drew for an answer.
“Don’t ask, plus your place – much more comfortable and roomy,” Drew told him with a smirk, sitting down next to Ashley which only caused him to smile even more, staring her down with his own glare. It was until several white pieces of paper were waved in front of his face that he broke it and they all started to look at it.
“This is our schedule?” Ashley’s eyes popped open once more at the size of it.
“No, that’s a contract from the network,” he pointed out, “this is your schedule with everything that’s going to happen from now until next Monday,” Drew waved a double sided piece of paper in the air and each of the friends shuffled their own papers in their hands. Zac peered over Monique’s list of finalists and looked back to the schedule. The massive eliminations on the first two days were going to be the hardest, he knew it. “Questions?”
All four of the Rockers raised their hands as high as they could go. A million questions came to mind and Zac didn’t know where to start.
*
“You’re dead. No, make that deader than dead, Corbin. How could you not tell me this?!” Vanessa stopped midway in the hallway, making both Corbin and Alexa stop abruptly, and turned around to punch him in the arm harmlessly and turned back just as quickly, making her way back to Corbin’s LA apartment that he had failed to mention to her for two straight years.
“She’s mad at you,” Alexa leaned in and told Corbin, raising her eyebrows to emphasize the mad part.
Corbin shrugged his shoulders and pulled the last bag from their trip up in his arms as Alexa held onto the light snack bag that Vanessa had insisted on. “I know, but at least I have it now, right?”
“Corbin, how’s that arm?” Alexa rhetorically asked, knowing that Vanessa’s left hook was strong.
“Point taken,” he nodded towards the open door and shut the door behind him immediately catching eyes with his best friend. “Uh, hi. Would slipped my mind earn another punch or a playful slap?”
“I just can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this, Cor. Two years, two years!” Vanessa flew her hands up in the air as Alexa dodged them and took the snack bag into his kitchen that was not lacking in the slightest.
“I just, Vanessa,” Corbin pulled her back before she locked herself in one of the bedrooms available. “If I told you about this place, you’d have me and Alexa living here and I didn’t wanna abandon you in San Diego.”
“Corbin, cut the crap. I’m a big girl you know.”
“I know you are. But think about it, me and Lex would be here and you’d be stuck with the girls. You’d turn them into shopping zombies and I cannot have that,” he told her, hoping that the latter of his tiny monologue would get him a smile…and it did. A tiny one, but still, it was something.
She couldn’t help but chuckle at him and with Alexa joining in, it wasn’t fully past her, but it was a way to get stuff out of him. Uncrossing her arms and heading for one of the chairs in the living room, Vanessa sat down and wiped the soft tendrils that had escaped her braids. “I hate to break it to you – but there’s no hope on Stella or Hunter.”
“I know, but there’s still hope for Jag,” he smiled at her, picking up two of her bags and lugging them down the hallway to one of the bedrooms that he had claimed for her. “There is, isn’t there?” He yelled from the plain looking room.
Vanessa looked over to Alexa for some type of answer and giggled more as she shook her head and let out a very strong no. He came back out and looked between the girls and instantly felt like he was back in high school and coming into the center of one of their girl-jokes.
“Am I forgiven? Please tell me yes since you both are doing that weird giggle-look thing.”
“Yes,” Vanessa sighed as both Alexa and Corbin joined her in the living area. “But, only if I get breakfast out of it.”
“Now?”
“No, not now. It’s 8 at night.”
“You can have breakfast anytime,” Alexa pointed out, nudging Corbin with a smile which he returned fully and looking towards her.
“Tomorrow morning, please.”
“Eggs Benedict or French Toast?”
“Do both, just so you’re covered,” Alexa, again, told him and they all shared a laugh again. “Because you know, the diner calls now,” she pointed out, talking about their favorite diner in Los Angeles whenever they were all together.
“But we just got here,” Vanessa embraced her inner drama queen and threw herself back on the chair, her legs up in the air and her head over the arm rest. “I’m too tired to move.”
“Now that,” Corbin pointed her way and leaned back by Alexa, “is a bunch of crap. We left two hours ago and I drove all the way.”
“How on earth are you still in bed?!” Ashley popped her head into his bedroom and woke up all the way up. He stared at her silhouette frame from inside the blue striped sheet and groaned inwardly. He knew it was a bad idea giving her that spare key. Should’ve stuck with Monique. “Come on, get up! It’s almost 3,” she started to poke at his bare feet underneath the warmth of the sheet and he kicked at her hands.
“Quit it,” he yelled at her as she laughed at him. “Sleep, good.”
“Yes, sleep is good, but guess what else is?” Ashley asked the rhetorical question and he knew he was getting in deeper with her by the second. Pulling back the covers down below his head and exposing the chiseled chest his personal trainer would be proud of, he could honestly say that this was so like Ashley. “Sunshine!” She yanked on the blind cord and nearly blinded him from the sight of the sun reflecting off the patio in his backyard. “So, wake up, get up, shower,” she sniffed the air for affect, “yes, definitely shower.”
“I want my key back,” he bluntly said deserving the cheesiest smile she had in her.
“Never. I gave the Sammie the day off, like you should’ve done Friday when we got back and she was sleeping in the spare room. You overwork her, you know that right?” Ashley followed him into the larger bathroom of the three in his home and watched him turn on the shower.
“I should be taking this advice from you?”
“Well, yeah, why wouldn’t you?”
“Because aren’t you the one who screwed over Raul?”
“Hey!” Ashley spat at him. “That wasn’t fair and it was all…”
“Rachel’s fault,” Zac finished her sentence like most times. It was a weird sense that the remaining four had always had between each other. Creepy sometimes, but most, it was comforting. “I know, just wanted you to shut up so I can take my shower.”
“One of these days, I am so going to get you.”
“Place and time, Ash. Place and time,” Zac flung out his arms as she slipped back out the door long enough for him to slip off his boxers and into the steaming shower. The hot liquid streamed down his bare skin, awakening senses that he had not used for two days since their return to Los Angeles. Dipping down his head to let the running water waterfall over his darkened hair, he closed his eyes again, still wanting his extra hour of sleep. All he could think about though was every single one of the 30 finalists they had selected and the anticipation running through each one of their bodies. Him, well, he was just worried about the schedules. They had dealt with busy schedules mostly all of their careers, but this time it was going to be so much different. Especially if Drew and Manda were turning this thing into a primetime special at the end of the week.
Turning around to rake his hands through the sopping hair on his head, Zac quickly cleaned himself up. Ashley was right, he did stink and he could definitely use a shower. Stepping out merely ten minutes later, he pulled on a pair of jeans laying on his bedroom floor – Ashley would never know – and a spare shirt from his dresser and made his way out to the living room where he stood silent as soon as he saw his blonde friend.
She was dancing to her own beat and song – all around the living room and cleaning up for him in the process. It was always kind of ironic to Zac that Rachel and Chris were the ones to break out of the band first and well, so far make their careers successful. He had always thought that if any of them, Ashley would be the one to hit the world by storm solo. Hands down, she had the strongest voice out of all of them and had captured the world’s hearts already by singing to many of the world’s leaders last summer. Leaning up against the corner of the wall, he watched her silently and laughed as she popped out some hip-hop moves that one of their many choreographers had tried to teach them for their concerts. Needless to say, they just walk around the stage most times. The only one who was a born dancer was Monique and yeah, that girl can dance. Letting a little chuckle escape him, Ashley turned around to deliver her world class ‘try-Me-Efron’ glare, the one he was now immune to. “Place and time, Ash,” he laughed and walked his way over to the kitchen, searching for something edible to eat in his sorry excuse for a fridge.
“How about now?” she said, pulling herself up on one of the stools by the island.
“I’m always up for a good game of twenty questions. Me first?”
“No, me. Ladies first, Efron,” she reminded him as he handed her a bottle of water that he predicted she would ask for after he shut the door. Zac watched her with her messy ponytail as she bit her lip, trying to think of the most annoying question in her smart brain.
“Ash!”
“Patience is a virtue, Zac.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t take ten minutes to think of an annoying question that you’re going to ask. Me first,” he said, standing up straight to pour another cup of coffee from the corner bistro that Sammie had set up for him. “What’s going on with you and Drew?”
“I’ve got one…wait, what?”
“You heard me loud and clear,” Zac smiled and took the spare stool next to her, bringing the cup closer to his lips. “You and Drew, what’s going on?”
“Uh, nothing…” Ashley stammered for a moment and looked back at him. “Nothing.”
“Sure, we all see it Ash…”
“And I am so ready for Monday!” Monique’s loud and very energetic voice caught their attention from the foyer. As she strutted into the living room, she was followed by a worn out looking Lucas and Drew, with two binders in his hands. “Come on, come on, let’s get this over with so I can drag Lucas and Zac back out to that club and make them wish they were dead again.”
A smile and laugh under his breath, Zac swiveled on his stool and looked back up at Ashley, who only gave him a half smile before joining the others in the living room. The interruption may have cut off their game, but he was more than determined to finish it. “I thought we were gonna do this at the studio?” Zac questioned, falling into the seat next to Monique and looked at her for a moment before turning to Drew for an answer.
“Don’t ask, plus your place – much more comfortable and roomy,” Drew told him with a smirk, sitting down next to Ashley which only caused him to smile even more, staring her down with his own glare. It was until several white pieces of paper were waved in front of his face that he broke it and they all started to look at it.
“This is our schedule?” Ashley’s eyes popped open once more at the size of it.
“No, that’s a contract from the network,” he pointed out, “this is your schedule with everything that’s going to happen from now until next Monday,” Drew waved a double sided piece of paper in the air and each of the friends shuffled their own papers in their hands. Zac peered over Monique’s list of finalists and looked back to the schedule. The massive eliminations on the first two days were going to be the hardest, he knew it. “Questions?”
All four of the Rockers raised their hands as high as they could go. A million questions came to mind and Zac didn’t know where to start.
*
“You’re dead. No, make that deader than dead, Corbin. How could you not tell me this?!” Vanessa stopped midway in the hallway, making both Corbin and Alexa stop abruptly, and turned around to punch him in the arm harmlessly and turned back just as quickly, making her way back to Corbin’s LA apartment that he had failed to mention to her for two straight years.
“She’s mad at you,” Alexa leaned in and told Corbin, raising her eyebrows to emphasize the mad part.
Corbin shrugged his shoulders and pulled the last bag from their trip up in his arms as Alexa held onto the light snack bag that Vanessa had insisted on. “I know, but at least I have it now, right?”
“Corbin, how’s that arm?” Alexa rhetorically asked, knowing that Vanessa’s left hook was strong.
“Point taken,” he nodded towards the open door and shut the door behind him immediately catching eyes with his best friend. “Uh, hi. Would slipped my mind earn another punch or a playful slap?”
“I just can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this, Cor. Two years, two years!” Vanessa flew her hands up in the air as Alexa dodged them and took the snack bag into his kitchen that was not lacking in the slightest.
“I just, Vanessa,” Corbin pulled her back before she locked herself in one of the bedrooms available. “If I told you about this place, you’d have me and Alexa living here and I didn’t wanna abandon you in San Diego.”
“Corbin, cut the crap. I’m a big girl you know.”
“I know you are. But think about it, me and Lex would be here and you’d be stuck with the girls. You’d turn them into shopping zombies and I cannot have that,” he told her, hoping that the latter of his tiny monologue would get him a smile…and it did. A tiny one, but still, it was something.
She couldn’t help but chuckle at him and with Alexa joining in, it wasn’t fully past her, but it was a way to get stuff out of him. Uncrossing her arms and heading for one of the chairs in the living room, Vanessa sat down and wiped the soft tendrils that had escaped her braids. “I hate to break it to you – but there’s no hope on Stella or Hunter.”
“I know, but there’s still hope for Jag,” he smiled at her, picking up two of her bags and lugging them down the hallway to one of the bedrooms that he had claimed for her. “There is, isn’t there?” He yelled from the plain looking room.
Vanessa looked over to Alexa for some type of answer and giggled more as she shook her head and let out a very strong no. He came back out and looked between the girls and instantly felt like he was back in high school and coming into the center of one of their girl-jokes.
“Am I forgiven? Please tell me yes since you both are doing that weird giggle-look thing.”
“Yes,” Vanessa sighed as both Alexa and Corbin joined her in the living area. “But, only if I get breakfast out of it.”
“Now?”
“No, not now. It’s 8 at night.”
“You can have breakfast anytime,” Alexa pointed out, nudging Corbin with a smile which he returned fully and looking towards her.
“Tomorrow morning, please.”
“Eggs Benedict or French Toast?”
“Do both, just so you’re covered,” Alexa, again, told him and they all shared a laugh again. “Because you know, the diner calls now,” she pointed out, talking about their favorite diner in Los Angeles whenever they were all together.
“But we just got here,” Vanessa embraced her inner drama queen and threw herself back on the chair, her legs up in the air and her head over the arm rest. “I’m too tired to move.”
“Now that,” Corbin pointed her way and leaned back by Alexa, “is a bunch of crap. We left two hours ago and I drove all the way.”
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