Chapter One

Kelsi Nelson

Most people would see her and never expect for her to hang around with the people she does. The jocks, the brains, and the drama kids, all together, going through school as one. You'd see this group, and always the little songwriter would be in there tagging along. She wasn't a burden to anybody. In fact everyone loved having her in the group. They always praised her on new music, and defended her when she was picked on by Darbus. But most of their attention was always on something else. The big game, the next decathalon, or the spring musical. No one had ever gotten in deep with her; no one had ever taken the chance to get to know her. That was, until Kelsi became the lone wolf, and one guy's saving grace.

Kelsi walked into the lunchroom, and found the guys at their usual table. Normally everyone would be talking at once. Chitter-chattering about this and that while Kelsi snuck up behind them unnoticed. But today was different. Very different. All the guys, Troy, Chad, Zeke, Ryan, were silent. It was like you could feel the loneliness in their hearts from being deserted by their girls.
After We're All In This Together, the group was tight. Girls were like the boys' princesses, and the boys could always count on the girls' to be there for them. At basketball games, Gabi, Taylor, Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi would sit there and cheer on their guys. Likewise at decathlons and musicals. Whether it was Troy and Gabi starring, or Ryan and Sharpay they'd be there, while Kelsi slid along with them to event after event, enjoying the companionship. It wasn't until there senior year that things changed.
Kelsi put her purse down on the table; along with the composition book she took with her everywhere. She took a look around the table. All of them weren't eating. Just sitting, and staring at their food. Kelsi had never seen them looking so, dare she say, pathetic. She knew she had to stop this, but Kelsi was never good at getting people to talk. After all she was the quiet one, but was all the boys had since the last departure. So she chose her words carefully.

"And then there was one," she said with a sigh, and then a silent giggle. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

No response. Kelsi heaved another sigh. These were some of the liveliest boys she'd ever met, and now they were sulking because the last of their girls was gone. She started tracing circles on the table.

"Who knew that losing Sharpay would be the one thing to cause a group wide depression," Kelsi quietly to herself.

Ryan piped up and said, "Maybe it was because we always had someone else to keep us happy."

Gabi was the first to leave. Her mom had gotten a new job in Chicago, despite her promise to Gabriella. Troy was heartbroken, and Kelsi and the rest had helped him through it. Next was Taylor. Her parents made her move to Alabama so they could take care of her sick grandmother. Chad was upset, but never really showed it. He never once talked about it, or let a tear fall. No one knew it, but Kelsi quietly worried about him. She never said anything about it. She knew people dealt with "loss" differently than others.

For the next few months, things were fine. The basketball team kept winning, as did the decathlon team, without Gabriella. Kelsi kept composing the musicals, and they were all successes. They ended their junior year, and spent a great summer together. As the new year came about, Sharpay had some news. She had gotten accepted to a fancy music school in New York. She left two months into the school year, leaving a brother and boyfriend behind. Ryan and Zeke were currently in shock over their mutual mutiny, and the disappearance of yet another friend brought back old memories to Troy and Chad.

Ryan's comment had made Kelsi think. When Gabi left, Taylor had been the main one to comfort Troy. When Taylor was gone, Sharpay had kept Chad laughing with her antics. Now they were gone, and these boys needed some cheering up. An idea popped into Kelsi's head.

"Guys, I think we need a movie night."

Everyone finally break their pose, and said a simultaneous, "Huh?"

"A movie night," Kelsi said, slightly irritated. "We've had them before."

"Yeah, but it was always someone else who recommended it," Troy said.

"Troy's right," Zeke said," We've never even been inside your house."

"Well, now you are," Kelsi said, taking command. "Tonight, 8:00. I'll provide the movies."

And, before anyone could protest, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

The guys pulled up to Kelsi's house that night in Chad's car. Chad turned off the engine, but no one got out.

"Are you sure we should do this?" Ryan finally asked. Everyone looked at him questionably.

"I mean, why is Kelsi doing this now?" he continued. "She's had plenty of opportunities to invite us over before."

"And your point is?" Troy said, rubbing his temples.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm being pitied," Ryan said, leaning back into his seat. "I don't need someone who's never really cared about us to try and comfort me.

"What do you mean by 'never really cared about us.'" Chad said, quietly, but with irritation in his voice. "She's always been there."

"Well, has anyone ever really gotten to know her?"

Everyone in the car went quiet. They all knew this was true, but didn't want to admit it. After all, you'd think after hanging around with her for over a year, you'd know something about her.

"Maybe we should go," Zeke said. "I mean I doubt she noticed us."

"Dude are you heartless," Troy said in disbelief.

"Well, to tell you the truth I don't care right now!!!"

"Man, what the hell is wrong with you?!?" Chad screamed, leaving everyone speechless. Chad never got angry. Not during basketball games, at school, never.

"She might not have been the one babying us when our girlfriends left, but, hey, she was there. She never let us down. She's the one person we have left, and I think it's about time we get our heads out of our asses and see that."

For a while, no one said a word. Chad's outburst made all have a revelation. In their hearts they knew he was right.

"Let's go. She's probably waiting for us," Zeke said quietly.

And he was correct. Kelsi had been waiting for them on the front porch.

"Hey guys," she said as they walked up.

"Hey," they said forcing smiles.

"The living room's right inside so have a seat."

"Ok," Troy said leading everyone through the door.

Just as Chad passed her, Kelsi grabbed his arm.

"The acoustics in your car suck," she whispered.

She gave him an all-knowing look. Chad couldn't say a word.

Chad walked in and took a seat on the couch next to Troy. Ryan had snatched up the recliner, and Zeke was collapsed on the floor. Kelsi shut the door, and walked over to the DVD player.

"So," Zeke said, "What are we watching?"

"Well," Kelsi said, picking up four DVD's and placing them behind her back, "Every time we've had these before there's been a theme. Scary movies, romantic comedies, the best of Matt Damon."

Troy cracked a smile remembering the time Gabi made them watch Good Will Hunting, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and all the Ocean's and Bourne movies in one night.

"So tonight, we're going to have a theme that I think is good considering the circumstances."

She passed out a movie to each of them.

"We're going to watch all their favorite movies."

"How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days," Troy said, chuckling. "Yeah, that would be it."

"RENT," Zeke said as Ryan looked over his shoulder, "Man, if I had a dollar for the number of times you and her busted out into your own rendition of La Vie Boheme."

"Hey, don't make fun of me," Ryan said, offended. "I'm not the one who always begged her to sing Out Tonight."

"Man, shut up," Zeke said, conking him on the head.

"Ow!" Ryan complained, "That hurt."

"Good," he said. "What'd she hand you?"

"Ummm... Music and Lyrics," Zeke said looking at the cover. "What the heck?" (An: I've never seen it but thought it was appropriate.)

They looked up at Kelsi.

"Well I had to stick my favorite in there," she explained.

Ryan and Zeke then went into a slightly heated discussion over who was hotter: Rosario Dawson or Drew Barrymore. Troy was very amused by the current exchange because Ryan was persistent in convincing them that the butt-kicking Angel was sexier than that other girl. Kelsi stood there, and watched them with a smile on her face. Then she noticed Chad was being sort of quiet. The DVD she'd handed him was White Chicks. Not only was this Taylor's favorite movie, but also one of everybody liked. He was just sitting there, ignoring the rest of them, and staring at the cover.

"Chad, are you all right?" she asked him.

"Huh. Oh, yeah," he said, shaking himself out of his trance. "It's just-" He sighed heavily.

"-She knew every line in this movie."

"Oh know," Kelsi thought. She was just adding salt to the wounds.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," she said, grabbing the movies from their hands. "I've got other movies we can watch."

"Kelsi, stop," Troy said. "I think this is a good idea."

"Yeah me too," Ryan said.

"Yeah, but I don't want to make you guys feel even worse than you already do," Kelsi said.

"Don't worry about it," Chad finally said. "We can handle it."

Everyone shook their heads in agreement.

"Alright then," she said opening the DVD player. "Which one first?"

They thought for a moment.

"RENT," Zeke said. "Let's get the show tunes over with."

"Hey!" Ryan said, whacking him in the face with a pillow, "Show tunes ain't bad."

"Oh, come on, they're not even essential to culture," Troy said laughing. "Right Chad."

"Huh," he said again. "Oh yeah."

The boys continued their stupid conversation as Kelsi quietly put the DVD in. She was worried about Chad. After what she heard him say in the car, and then his reaction to seeing the movie, it made her wonder if he really was ok. Had he been struggling with losing Taylor this long, and never told anybody? And if he was, why was he keeping it to himself? This summer he appeared completely normal; never once seemed sad or depressed. What had triggered this sudden emotionally wrecked teenager?

Kelsi started the movie, and took a seat next to Chad on the couch. The movie began, and Zeke started yelling at Ryan for singing aloud. Troy tried to break them up, and ended up getting wrestled to the ground by Zeke. Troy said uncle, and they returned to the movie. All the while, Chad never said a word.

By the time they'd gotten to White Chicks, everyone had pretty much fallen asleep. Everyone, but Chad. Or so he thought. Troy was snoring next to him, Zeke was passed out on the floor, and Ryan was curled into a ball in his chair. Kelsi's head had fallen against the arm of the sofa, but she wasn't sleeping. After everything else that had happened that day, she really didn't want to see Chad watch this movie.
Chad's POV

Watching the movie that he and Taylor loved so much was harder on him than he expected. What many people didn't know was that it was this movie they watched on their first date. It was something that many people wouldn't watch on a date, but they had and it has always been their movie. Kelsi hadn't known that so he couldn't blame her for the way he felt right now. But still, with his and Taylor's last phone conversation in his head, he couldn't bare it. He got up, and went into the kitchen. Pulling up a stool to the counter, he sat down and put his head in his hands.

Kelsi's POV

Kelsi felt that couch beside her move as Chad got up and left the room. She lifted up her head, and sighed. She had to get to the bottom of this. She picked up her water glass, and followed him.

No POV

In the kitchen, she found him at the buffet. He wasn't crying, but looked close to it. Kelsi went to the cupboard, and pulled out a jar of peanut butter. She sat it down in front of him, and then pulled over a package of Oreo's.

Chad lifted up his head, and gave her a weird look.

"Hey, this always helps me get through tough times," she laughed, trying to lift his spirits.

Surprisingly he cracked a smile.

"Thanks," he said, unscrewing the jar of peanut butter.

"No problem," she said turning around and heading out of the room.

"Hey," he shouted after her.

Kelsi turned around.

"I can't eat all this alone. I'm not a chick, you know," he joked.

"Alright then," she said, pulling up a stool across from him. "I'll join you."

AN: Ok there's chapter 1. This is my first story, though I've been reading for a while. I'd love some reviews.