Other Fan Fiction ❯ The Fourth Grade ❯ They're Not Gonna Get Us ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical. I own the social worker and any other characters that don't belong to Disney.

---

 

“I'm a social worker Goddamnit, I should know what's best for you!” she fumed as she watched her young charge sleep.

 

The judge wanted to give her adopted son back to his abusers simply because she was a single parent and a lesbian.

 

She had met the poor thing through her line of work when he was four, five years prior to the mess she found herself in. She herself had been freshly inducted into the social workers' department, at the fine age of 24 with a double major in psych and public relations.

 

“Mom?” asked the little brunet, turning over and cracking his blue-grey eyes open.

“It's nothing Troy honey, go back to sleep.” she smiled, kissing his forehead and tucking him in again.

 

She left the room when she was sure he was asleep. She ran a hand through her messy black hair.

 

“What am I going to do? I don't know how I'll live if they take you,” she murmured, leaning back hard against the fridge and sliding down to the floor. “Ow.” she said after a moment, removing the small egg shaped magnet that was digging in between her shoulder blades.

 

She sighed. Tomorrow -she checked the clock- later today rather, Troy would be starting fourth grade in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They had moved from Las Vegas, Nevada the month before.

 

Later that morning after getting them both something from a nearby Starbucks -a first morning of the school year tradition- they arrived at the school early. Troy wandered over to a pair of blond twins while his mother talked to theirs.

 

“I'm Alyssa Clark.”

“Emily Evans, the two little blondies are mine.”

“Ah, I hope our kids get along. I'm so worried about Troy because we just moved here.”

“I think he should get on with Ryan just fine. Sharpay, however, well I suppose we'll have to see.”

 

Troy turned to Ryan, coffee still in hand.

 

“Hi, my name is Troy Clark, my adoptive mom and I just moved here. I like your hat.”

“Thanks! I'm Ryan Evans, this is my twin Sharpay. My mom is talking to that dark haired woman over there.”

“That's my mom!” said Troy, happy that perhaps the two women would get along.

“Cool. Where did you move from?”

“Las Vegas.”

“Ohmigod!” said Sharpay, then she launched a million and one questions about Vegas at the poor brunet, who couldn't keep up even with the coffee.

“She's a little…happy.” remarked Troy to Ryan.

“Try living with her.”

 

Troy grinned, he had a new friend. And one with a cool hat too.

 

“So what do you like to do in the afternoons?”

“Mostly I get dragged along to dancing and musical stuff with the queen bee over there,” to which Sharpay flipped her hair over her shoulder and stomped off. “But I'd really like to get into sports like basketball. I do baseball in the spring too.”

“I love basketball, and baseball's pretty good too. What kind of music do you like?”

“I really like kind of older stuff, and sometimes country, a lot of Elvis, and a few different musicals. My favorite color's blue, what's yours?”

“I really like green. By the way, green is a good color on you.”

“Thanks,” Ryan blushed unnoticeably. “Is that actually coffee?” he asked, pointing to the cup in Troy's hand.

“Yep, mom says that the coffee stunting development thing is a cheap way of making sure kids don't get really wound up. She let me start having coffee two years ago. She didn't like the idea of having to explain exactly why her child was so happy.”

“She adopted you?”

“Yep. Right now though she's having a legal battle because the court system doesn't think she's a fit guardian because she's a single parent. She said it probably has more to do with the fact that she's a single parent lesbian. I think she's probably right. They don't like lesbians much, do they?”

“Not really. So, if I was to tell you I was gay…”

“It wouldn't scare me off! Not by any means. I really want to fight in court to stay with mom, but they won't let me say anything. Just because I'm nine my opinion has no weight. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried. You're my first friend here, and if nobody's as nice as you, you might be the only one, and I'd be fine with that.”

“Really?”

“For absolutely certain sure.” said Troy, smiling and wrapping an arm around Ryan's shoulders.

 

The teacher came out on the lawn and called for the class to join her.

 

“Alright, everyone. Today we're going to have class outside, simply because it's the first day and it's so nice. I want everyone to sit in a circle and introduce themselves. I know it's a little childish, but I want you to know each other, especially because I know we have a new student this year from out of state.”

 

The two boys sat next to each other and listened as each student stood up and said something in turn. A few caught Troy's attention, Chad, Zeke, Taylor, Kelsie, and Gabriella.

 

Finally, it was Troy's turn.

 

“My name is Troy. My adoptive mom and I just moved here from Las Vegas. I like basketball and baseball. I like almost any kind of music. My favorite cartoon is slash was Rocko's Modern Life.”

 

Ryan smiled when Troy sat back down. He stood up.

 

“I'm Ryan. I've lived here most of my life. I like baseball and I'd like to get into basketball. I have a large collection of hats, but this one is my favorite.”

 

Ryan sat back down and Troy grinned at him.

 

Sharpay introduced herself, followed by a few more students as their class was relatively small.

 

“Okay, now I want you to take a quick break to talk to each other. Talk to anyone who seemed to have similar interests or interests you'd like to get into.”

 

Troy was approached by everyone, being bombarded with questions about Vegas.

 

“Yes, it's sweltering in the summer. My mom is a social worker, not a fan dancer. The lights are very beautiful at night. If you ever go I recommend visiting the Bellagio after dark. No, I have never met Elvis, he's been dead for a while, but I do love his music. M&Ms World is the best place to get a sugar rush, but never before you go on any of the Stratosphere rides. Piña Coladas may or may not have alcohol, I've never had one with alcohol though.”

“Alright everyone, enough about Las Vegas. Go talk about interests outside of where the new kid came from.” said the teacher, Miss Palmer.

 

Only Chad, Zeke, Gabriella, Kelsie, Taylor, Ryan, and Sharpay stayed with him. He talked to the boys about sports and the girls about Math and Science. The girls offered to help him since he said he had trouble with Math sometimes, usually with division.

 

“Okay, now it's time for you guys to go wild. After recess we'll do some Math and English, then you'll have gym and music.”

“Will we have Spanish classes?” asked Troy when Miss Palmer called on him.

“Spanish is an after school club on Fridays. If you're interested, you can talk to me during recess, as I'm the teacher for that club.”

“Okay, thank you.” said Troy.

 

Ryan grabbed Troy and pulled him over to the swings.

 

“I don't really feel like swinging, but if you want I can push.” said Troy.

“Okay.”

 

Ryan sat down and Troy pulled the swing back. Ryan pumped his legs in addition and soon he was swinging just out of Troy's reach. Troy grinned and walked over to one of the legs nearest Ryan and sat cross-legged leaning against the metal. He talked with Ryan as he swung.

 

“So, do you like video games?”

“Yeah, I have a Gameboy Color.”

“Cool, me too.”

“What kind of books do you like?”

“I like the Animorphs series. I have all of the books up to 31. It was released in July.”

“I know, I love that series!”

“How many do you have?”

“My dad doesn't like me to read fantasy, so I don't have any, but I have read up to 26.”

“Wanna come over like in the afternoons and read them with me?”

“In the afternoons when I don't have anything going on.”

“Cool!”

 

The teacher called them over. Ryan jumped from the swing and hit the ground running. Troy ran behind him.

 

“Now, let's work on some division and multiplication.”

 

---

 

“Your honor, my client legally adopted her son. She has every right to keep him.” her lawyer.

“Would the defendant like to call a witness?” the judge.

“She took our son from us.” Troy's biological mother.

“Your honor, this woman stole our boy,” Troy's biological father. “When she goes home she's probably going to corrupt him with all her same-sex nonsense.”

“My client did no such thing! She took the boy from his abusive parents and adopted him. There is nothing illegal about it! She's a social worker for pity's sake! We have all the records.” her lawyer.

“-A thirty day period. If Miss Clark appears to be harming her charge in any way, shape, or form, he will be removed from her care and returned to foster care. Lesbian or not, she is just the same a single mother and I will treat her no differently than such,” the judge. “Courtroom adjourned, we will return in thirty days.”

 

The words echoed in her head as she drove to gather Troy from school. When she pulled up in her Subaru Outback, Troy and Ryan were sitting together on the curb conversing in low tones.

 

“Hi mom!” said Troy, waving.

“Troy!” she smiled, hugging him tightly.

“This is my friend Ryan. I made a bunch of friends today. We played kickball and I had a lot of fun. Can Ryan come home with us?”

“Has Ryan called his mom?”

“He has.”

“Then he may.”

 

The boys cheered and piled into the backseat together, giggling as they told her about their day. She smiled and glanced at them in the rearview mirror every so often.

 

“Thirty days.” the words replayed in her head.

I'm going to keep him. I might die if they take my little Troy.

 

When they got to the apartment, Ryan went to sit in the living room area, Troy saying that he'd be there in a minute. He knew something was wrong with his mom.

 

“Mom, what's wrong?”

“They gave us thirty days Troy. If I can prove after a thirty day period that you are in good hands, they'll close the case for good. We have a much better judge here, and he's treating me as if I were simply a single adoptive mother. We'll get through this, I promise.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too kiddo. Go play with Ryan, I'll make you guys snacks.”

“Mkay, thanks!” he went to play with Ryan.

 

“What was that about?” asked Ryan.

 

Troy explained to him. Ryan smiled.

 

“I'm glad there's a better judge here.”

“Me too, I don't know how I could live without my mom, especially if they gave me back to my old parents.”

“I can't believe this even managed to get a court hearing. It's probably because she's a lesbian, because they wouldn't honestly let an abusive family win the rights to the kid they beat.”

“This whole thing makes me feel like a prize. They won't even let me put in an opinion.”

“I know. Let's watch TV and numb our brains.” suggested Ryan.

“Okay.” smiled Troy, it was so nice to have a friend.

 

Half an hour later, it started pouring rain. Ryan's mom called.

 

“Ryan, your mom wants you to spend the night because of the rain. I don't blame her, these conditions aren't good fro driving. What would you boys like for dinner?” called Alyssa from the kitchenette after hanging up with Emily.

“Do we still have that freezer pizza?” asked Troy.

 

Alyssa turned to the freezer.

 

“Cheese or pepperoni?”

 

The boys talked for a few seconds.

 

“Cheese!” called Troy.

 

When the pizza was ready, they popped in Hercules and sat on the floor, eating pizza and watching the movie. Halfway through, Ryan yawned and leaned on Troy's shoulder. Troy then yawned in response and laid his head on top of Ryan's. Alyssa smiled at the two, fast asleep on each other.

 

I'll keep you Troy, even if I have to give up my real self to do it. You deserve this after those four years of agony, and I won't let them get in our way.

---

End Chapter 1.

 

Wow, a little over five pages worth of almost nothing but dialogue. I'm almost impressed with myself. I had to do research on stuff that was around then, because I was in kindergarten at the same time that this takes place.

 

Please note, as this is an alternate universe, Gabriella lives in Albuquerque. I have plans. And a hint of a plot…maybe…