It's a hot summer's day and they're both back in town for summer break. After a game of basketball, they're both sprawled out on the sun-warmed concrete under the hoops. Troy thinks that this is it; this is the time to ask Chad the question that has been nagging him all summer long ever since Chad dropped the bomb of the century upon him.

"Is your head screwed on straight?" Troy asks bluntly.

"I'm pretty sure it is." Chad blinks back at him, bemused.

"Then explain to me, why in the hell do you want to date Sharpay Evans of all people?"

Chad laughs. Because ever since Troy has found out that he, Chad has a thing, a big humongous thing for Sharpay Evans, Troy seems to think that the universe has turned on its head because there is no conceivable way in which anyone can want to date Sharpay Evans. The woman might as well be the Antichrist. Troy's words, not his.

Hell, you cant even be friends with her, but Chad already seems to have passed that hurdle and now is well on his way to falling head over heels for her and sharing sickeningly sweet nicknames and shit like that.

"I mean, you called her a mountain lion! How can you love a mountain lion? They are not furry lovable creatures! They are big man-eaters!"

At this point of time, Troy is losing his shit at an amusing rate which is nothing short of hysterical. So Chad sits back and lets him rant and rave. And Troy does.

In the span of the next half-hour, Troy mentions that Sharpay Evans is,

- A bitch. A magnificent bitch if such a term exists.

- A sucker of souls.

- A bloodsucking vampire.

- A drama queen. (No shit. Really? But Troy just rolls his eyes and proceeds.)

- The cause of all evil.

- The devil in disguise of a doe-eyed deceptive looking blonde.

- The harbinger of doom.

- The purveyor of injustice.

- Sharpay Evans.

"Firstly, props on the vampire theory. That's a good addition. But the purveyor of injustice? Naah. Not so much. And lastly, Sharpay Evans is Sharpay Evans? The fuck is that supposed to mean?

Troy blinks a few times before gathering his scattered forces. He expected his wonderful argument to simply blow Chad away. He didn't expect for a review of its perceived merits and demerits as it were.

"You know what I mean right?" Troy begins desperately.

"Mhmm. No. Elucidate." Chad replies, still patient and benign.

"She's Sharpay Evans! Shouldn't that say it all? She eats people like you and me for breakfast!" Troy bursts out, turning over to his side and leaning on his elbow to look at Chad, confused with where this is going. He was somehow expecting a different take on the whole thing.

"Wrong. She eats you for breakfast. As for me…" Chad grins in a knowing manner that causes Troy to cringe and wince as a series of unwanted visuals assault him.

For want of an explanation for this unexplainable and un-understandable phenomenon, Troy demands an explanation.

"How long has it been since we left high school Troy?" Chad asks.

"Three years."

"Have you and I stayed the same?"

" Yes. You're still my best friend. We still love playing ball and we both love blue marshmallow peeps. Always have and always will."

Chad cracks a smile at the mention of that but presses onward.

"But all the same, you are no longer with Gabriella, I'm no longer with Taylor, you don't play ball for a living, I no longer have the maturity of a five year old though Sharpay thinks differently, but the point is, we've changed. It was inevitable Troy. Nobody ever stays the same. We grew up and mellowed out. I did, you did and Sharpay did – wait that could be up for debate. The point though, is that we are no longer what we used to be."

Troy's face falls and he wants to object and say that, no, that is not true but he knows as well as anyone, yes, all of them have changed.

"It's kind of hard to believe that Sharpay changed. And that you are going to be her…you know, boyfriend."

"Believe it or not but I've changed and so has Sharpay. She wasn't a paragon of virtue that time but then again, neither was I. Over the years, some of the sharp edges have been sawn off though. She still snaps, and yes, she can have anyone for breakfast, but she'd do anything for her friends, she doesn't think she's the centre of the universe – though she is mine, but most importantly, she knows the value of change and the person behind a veneer. It's not the same thing."

Chad looks beatific and all Troy think is that he has never seen Chad look so blissfully happy.

"You don't just want to date her do you?"

Chad smirks.

"If she'll have me, I suppose there's no other go, is there?"

"Ass," Troy mutters as he half-heartedly kicks out at Chad who in turn laughs and rolls away. Maybe Sharpay will always be a mountain lion to him, but obviously to Chad, she's a cat with some really, really sharp claws. He's not exaggerating. They're like blades.

The point is, Chad is happy and so yeah, Troy can live with that.

"Just so you know, this doesn't mean I'm going to like her and talk to her and all that. We'll remain sworn enemies till the day we die.

"Chill out drama queen. She's not that fond of you either. Tells me that she cannot believe she once had a crush on a, and let me quote from memory here, "overly stylized, Hollister wearing, pretentious and preppy ball boy." Chad smiles into the sun. Sharpay always had a gift for insults that can really mess with your brain.

Predictably, Troy goes, "She called me what?"

While Troy once again raves, this time defending his good name, Chad smiles and thinks that sometimes growing up and changing, they are not that bad after all.

a/n – I'm feeling nostalgic for my fandoms of old. :)

Disclaimer – Obviously, I don't own. Duh.