Never Underestimate An Ex-Boyfriend
I know, I know. I can't keep from Emily, but please note this DOES NOT relate to the series.
Enjoy!
Emily Bolton scanned the cafeteria silently. The red tables with the white E on them were arranged the way they always had, the food had that sickly smell to it, and all the same cliques where sitting together...well, almost.
On this Thursday afternoon, Emily was looking at the cafeteria scene from a different perspective. Literally. With her brother being the legendary Troy Bolton, Emily usually sat with him at the jocks table, but today was a bit different. When she made it to the usual table, she found something already in her seat. Once she studied closer, she found Taylor McKessie sitting in the younger Bolton's usual chair.
The small girl was shocked to see Taylor there. The group remained silent at the table, and Emily tearfully made her way to sit with Sharpay, Kelsi, and Ryan. She had been silently kicked out of her own circle. Her group of friends. All for a guy.
"Don't you think that was a bit...harsh?" Jason said.
No one responded. No one had wanted to kick Emily out of the circle. Chad just didn't want her there.
"Well, I think it was harsh," Zeke piped up.
"Well no one cares what you think, Zeke," Chad snapped.
"Don't start fighting. I've heard enough yelling," Troy grumbled. He threw a menacing glance at Chad.
Chad just stared at his tray of food. He couldn't believe they actually booted Emily out instead of him. He was almost for certain he was going to be eating in the gym. Last night, he felt like all the yelling was worth it, but now, while he was forcing himself to stop stealing glances at Emily, he felt like he was an idiot. Chad, his thoughts screamed in his mind, how could you break up with Emster? She made you HAPPY for the first time in months!
Gabriella grabbed squeezed Troy's hand to comfort him. "Let's just not mention anything about..."
"EMILY!" Someone yelled from across the cafeteria. The group's glances all shifted to the table Emily was sitting at.
"Connor?" Emily said quietly. She watched the tan figure stroll over to her with a sly smile on his face.
"Emily?" he mocked her.
"No way! What are you doing here?" A smile appeared on her face as she stood and hugged him.
"Came down to visit for a few weeks," he explained as he returned the hug.
He looks good, Emily couldn't help but think.
"Who is that?" Taylor asked, looking him over.
"Is that...? No way! It's Connor Livingston!" Troy exclaimed.
"Connor Livingston? Wasn't that...?"
"Em's last boyfriend," Chad finished glumly.
"He's...changed," Taylor said with her eye still on him. Chad hated to admit it, but Taylor was right, as usual.
Connor had always been thin and tall, but never had a very muscular body. He was never tan, or had the clearest face of the bunch, but he was honest and sincere. Pretty much everything a girl wanted, minus the looks category. But now, it was different.
He had tanned since moving to Florida. His teeth, now bleach white, were straight as could be and his "blah brown" hair now had a natural sandy-ness to it. His body was ripped with muscles which you could see clearly through his designer polo and faded jeans.
"Great. Just great," Chad muttered as he rested his chin in his palm.
"Oh, shut up. You broke up with Em, remember?" Gabriella pointed out.
"It's not like I wanted it to happen!"
"Well, you made it happen. And you know what, if you don't hurry up and admit your mistake soon, you'll probably lose Em."
Chad looked back at Connor and Emily. They were chatting and laughing. How can he make her so happy? Wasn't she just about to burst into tears minutes before? Chad sighed and stared at his tray for the rest of the period.
"Hey, Emster," she heard behind her. She froze at the voice.
"I'm not in the mood to get yelled at," she retorted without facing him. She didn't want to face him. Her sadness at lunch had turned into rage by the end of the day.
"Emster..."
"Don't call me that, either."
Troy, who was eavesdropping, winced at the words. This wasn't going as well as he hoped. But then again, maybe Emily would be better off with a guy like Connor. Connor had never raised his voice to Emily at all, unlike Chad who constantly yelled. Troy then mentally slapped himself for saying that. He was crazy to think Connor and Emily could have an ounce of passion his sister and Chad had shared.
"I just want to talk."
"Oh, I think you did enough talking already," she finally turned to face him.
"Emst-- Emily, please."
"Please what? Forgive you? It's not that simple..."
"I don't expect it to! I just want to talk. Please?"
Emily sighed. "...I have plans tonight."
Chad felt his heart quickly slip up his throat. "W-what?"
"Connor asked if we could have dinner."
"But Connor..."
"Connor," she interrupted him. "Is my friend. He also seems to care about me more than other guys in my life did."
"Emster, I do care about you!" he cried out.
"So that's why you yelled at me last night? That's why you told me you never wanted to see me again? That's why..."
"Emster, just stop," he said dejectedly. He stared at the square red and white tiles under his feet. He didn't want to hear it anymore. His mind had already played the words all last night and all day. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You keep saying the words, but you don't mean any of them!"
"I do mean them! Do you think if I didn't care, that I would be standing here practically begging to just talk about it?" His voice started to get louder.
"You don't 'talk', Chad. You yell. You yell about everything. You're a spoiled, selfish brat, and you can go find someone who will put up with that because I sure as hell won't." Emily slammed her locker door shut and walked angrily past him.
Chad turned and watched her leave. He knew she would collapse into a fit of tears once he was out of earshot, but he couldn't make himself move. "You're a spoiled, selfish brat..." The words echoed through his mind. Nothing hit him harder.
"Emily, he's a jerk. Don't listen to him," Connor said reassuringly.
"You don't get it, Connor," Emily turned her head away from him.
"Hey," he put his hand under her chin and forced her to face him. "Why don't you make me understand?"
Something in his voice, or the way he gently touched her...Emily didn't know what it was, but she knew she could trust Connor. So there she went. Emily launched into the whole story. Connor listened patiently, and nodded occasionally to show he was still with her.
"Chad, just talk to me."
"I don't WANT to talk, Emster," Chad said, clearly aggravated.
"Something's bugging you..."
"Why do you care so much?!" he snapped.
"Because I care about you," Emily said, with a slight tone of hurt in her voice.
"Does that mean I have to TALK all the time?"
"I'm sorry if I want to have a conversation with you?" she said confused.
"Yeah, well, you should be!" Chad stood up angrily and walked into the kitchen. Emily followed.
"Did you have a bad day? What's wrong?" Emily continued questioning him. Probing him for the source of his anger.
"Just SHUT UP!"
Emily quieted down immediately. She looked down at the floor, as if she was ashamed. "I just wanted to find out what was wrong..." she said quietly while looking at her feet.
"IF I WANTED TO TELL YOU WHAT WAS WRONG, I WOULD HAVE!"
"NO, IF YOU WEREN'T SO ANGRY ALL THE TIME, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE SOMETHING WRONG IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Emily snapped, but she quickly regretted it.
"JUST GET OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"
"Chad..."
"OUT!"
Tears formed in Emily's eyes just thinking about it. But as she looked into Connor's eyes, she realized what she had been missing all along...
"Chad, you have company!" his mother's shrill voice called to him upstairs. Chad jogged down the hall and took the steps two at a time to get back to his room as quick as possible.
He froze at the last step when he saw the small, fragile frame standing in his doorway. She had always looked out of place in his house, but now even more so with Connor standing behind her.
"Emster."
"Shut up," she said as she walked over to him.
"Emster, I'm sor--" he was cut off by Emily's lips pressing against his.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed back. Her lips were soft and warm. Chad felt her arms around him, and for that short moment, it was just them in the living room and seconds weren't ticking by at all.
"I love you," she said looking in his eyes.
"And I love you," Chad returned the look.
Connor smiled behind them. His work here was done. Thank God Troy called...
So, did you like it? Hope ya did! Review please.