Disclaimer: HSM cast belongs to Disney….I wonder how they feel about that?
Chapter One: Kicked to the Curb
Chad could never be quite sure when his feelings started to change, or even exactly when he'd noticed it. The fact remained, however, that somewhere between pre-k and college (after a long chain of failed relationships and one night stands, starting with Taylor) Chad had to admit to himself that girls just weren't what he wanted.
Now the revelation that you bat for the other team, your door swings the other way, (insert favorite euphemism here:) would come as a shock to any teenage boy, especially one who prided himself only on his b-ball game and the chicks he dated. For Chad however, it wasn't realizing that he didn't like girls that got him all confused and depressed, but realizing who he did like.
His best friend, Troy Bolton.
Whenever Chad had love trouble, which was fairly seldom (have you looked at the boy?) he always went to one person: Troy. But that option was shot because this situation was just a teensy bit different in that the person he was fawning over was…him. Chad wasn't very good at keeping secrets; he'd always had someone to share with. Now, keeping a secret as big as this was taking its toll. Chad was as close to depressed as he'd ever been, Keeping his secret meant distancing himself from Troy which in turn left him extremely lonely. When you think about it, it's kinda ironic as there are scores of girls and a surprising number of boys who are probably in a similar situation. But Chad didn't know them; he only knew himself…come to think of it…he was losing touch with who he was too.
As if dealing with all his issues wasn't enough, he had to be there for Troy too. A month into college, Gabriella broke it off with him. She was attending some fancy-pants, high and mighty, Ivy League school on the East Coast, and with Chad and Troy at UCLA, things, she claimed, just wouldn't work out. Chad remembered the night Troy got the news very vividly.
He'd shuffled into their dorm, head bowed and clutching a letter tightly in his hand. It wasn't until Troy had crossed the dorm and sat down slowly next to Chad that he noticed his friend's eyes were bloodshot and swollen. Happy-go-lucky, "look on the bright side" Troy Bolton. Crying? Chad knew then it had something to do with Gabriella; she was the only person who could have such an effect on him. Lately, Gabby could make Troy jump for joy or moan and mope with as little as a text message. On these occasions, Chad felt supremely sick and a more than a tiny bit jealous that some girl had so much control over his friend and his emotions. It was probably a bit pathetic but Chad had envied Gabriella, and now…now he hated her.
Troy had sat down next to Chad and merely stared straight ahead, not saying a word or acknowledging Chad in anyway. Chad dutifully reached over to put a hand on Troy's shoulder. "What's wrong, man?" he asked genuinely worried. He hadn't seen Troy like this since…actually he'd never seen Troy like this. All Troy managed was a piteous whimper as he thrust the letter to Chad. Chad slanted another concerned stare at Troy before he took the letter and read.
When Troy had read the letter, his eyes had grown wider with each line. In contrast, Chad's eyes narrowed into as he skimmed the letter. By the time he reached the end, his eyes had been reduced to furious slits. Chad didn't need to know what "spurn" or "eschew" meant to know that Gabby had just dumped his best friend. After three years she just kicked him to the curb with a letter. The end of the letter was smeared and blotted, by Troy's tears no doubt, but Chad got the feeling that Gabriella had already found someone to replace Troy. He shook his head, feeling a sickening mixture of anger, sadness, and, though he wasn't proud of it, happiness. Even, this tiny guilty pleasure was wiped from him when he turned back to face his best friend.
Troy Bolton, heartthrob, point-guard extraordinaire, stared back at him, intense blue eyes glistening and as Chad watched, his bottom lip quivered. A moment later the flood-gates broke and Troy collapsed a crying, quivering mass. Suddenly Chad found himself flat on his back with an armful of sobbing basketball player. Still partly in shock over the recent development, Chad awkwardly patted Troy on the back, but all this did was provoke another onslaught of tears.
On the court, Chad was unshakable, nothing caught him off guard, but nothing like this had ever happened on the court and Chad had no idea what to do or say. He longed to tell Troy that Gabriella wasn't worth his tears, but something told Chad that wasn't what Troy wanted to hear just yet. So Chad said nothing, instead he settled for rubbing soothing circles on Troy's back while his sobs slowly subsided.
A few minutes later, Troy had cried himself to sleep and lay on his side with Chad's arm thrown over him. Chad however stayed awake a good deal longer. He had a lot to think about.
Author's Note: Review and it gets continued. Don't review and…well…you get the idea.