Here is chapter 2! It's written from Chad's point of view and the beginning backtracks to the summer.

o O o O o O o O o

Usually Chad would go to Troy if he had a problem. Troy always had the solution. That was why he was the captain of their basketball team and no one had any problem with it. He was usually so good with leading the team, and he could talk through any of his friends' problems without breaking a sweat.

Chad, who lay in bed, wished he could talk to Troy now. But, see, Troy was being an ass. Troy, Mr. I'm-Too-Good-For-My-High-School-Friends, was hanging out with college kids and Sharpay. Sharpay! If he was trying to alienate his friends and girlfriend on purpose, it was working.

Earlier that day, there had been a baseball game. No harm in that, right? Chad never would have thought so, considering he was one of East High's most well known jocks. But Gabriella invited Ryan, Sharpay's brother, to the game.

At first, Chad thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world. What would this thespian, this actor, this singer, this dancer, know about baseball?

Of course, Ryan proved everybody wrong. Ryan Evans proved that one could be a dancer, an actor, a singer, and a jock. Of course, Troy had proven that during the winter musical, but Troy wasn't exactly determined to get a part in the next one.

Something messed up happened during the baseball game, though, and Chad couldn't even understand it himself.

He found himself mesmerized by Ryan. The way Ryan played baseball. The way Ryan was dancing while he was playing baseball. Whatever Ryan did during the game, Chad reacted to it. Somehow it got to the point where he wanted to march up to Ryan and do something to him. Something... something shocking. He wanted to kiss Ryan (and do other stuff with him), and he didn't know how to make the feeling go away.

He needed to make the feeling go away. After all, he had a girlfriend. Taylor. He kept forgetting about Taylor, and during the game, even though she was watching it, Chad forgot about her completely. He didn't mean to. She was a great girl. But Taylor didn't mesmerize him. Ryan did.

After the game, Chad asked Ryan what he would have to do if he participated in the Lava Springs Country Club talent show. Ryan didn't really say anything in return.

Chad started walking back toward the building he seemed to spend every waking moment of his summer in. Ryan caught up to him.

"Hey, that was such a great game." Ryan said.

"Yeah." Chad said. He didn't get it. He'd say more, but he felt nervous. Why should he feel nervous? It was just Ryan. Just Sharpay's brother, who often trailed behind her. Why should he make Chad nervous?

"That outfit is very... wildcat." Ryan suddenly said, looking him over.

"And that hat is very..." Chad began. He couldn't come up with a description off the top of his head, though, like Ryan could. Plus he was still nervous. When would it go away? He was Chad Danforth. People didn't make him nervous. "Striped."

"Nice observation." Ryan replied.

"You know what would be kind of cool?" Chad suddenly blurted out.

"What?"

"If we switched."

"Switched?"

"Yeah, like if we went somewhere and switched clothes. You'd wear mine and I'd wear yours. I don't know... it seemed funnier when I thought of it. Forget it." Chad looked away, annoyed that his face was burning up. "Sorry."

"Let's do it." Ryan said.

So they did. And everyone did think it was hilarious. Ryan was invited to hang out with the gang for as long as he wanted, and Chad could tell that made him happy. Finally he could be an individual, and not overshadowed by his sister. This made Chad happy too, but not just for the same reason. There was another reason too, a reason he would never tell Ryan or anyone. The reason?

Ryan looked kind of good in Chad's clothes.

o O o O o O o O o

And now Chad was home, thinking about his previous thoughts about Ryan. And now they wouldn't stop! He kept imagining Ryan dancing, playing baseball, and wearing his clothes. And the images just wouldn't leave his head!

Thinking about Taylor didn't help.

This was seriously disturbing. And he could never tell anyone about this. None of his basketball friends. They were jocks, after all. He couldn't talk to Taylor about this... and not Gabriella, since she was Taylor's best friend. He figured anybody else would blab to Taylor.

The only person he could talk to about this was Ryan, but he also COULDN'T talk to him, since this was directed to him.

o O o O o O o O o

The rest of the summer was torture.

He tried to be cool around Ryan. He could be cool around anybody else (even Troy, who stopped being a jerk). As the summer progressed though, he started getting more and more weird around Ryan, as Ryan gained more and more confidence. After the talent show, he started hanging out with Sharpay again, but he also remained friends with the whole group of Wildcats. Chad noticed that Sharpay didn't treat Ryan like dirt anymore. She actually treated him like a friend. She also was a tiny bit nicer to the rest of the Wildcats.

And all the while Chad pretended to like Taylor, though he couldn't get Ryan out of his head.

When school started, he found out that he had several classes with Ryan and Sharpay, to his horror.

It wasn't long before Troy noticed that Chad was acting weird. He even had the nerve to ask Chad why he wasn't as obnoxious anymore! Chad, of course, insisted that nothing was wrong with him. Troy didn't look like he believed him, but at least he shut up. Chad did have to promise to make some sarcastic comment in a class... it never happened. Oh well, maybe Troy didn't remember.

Chad WOULD have said something, of course, but then he thought of what RYAN would think of him. Last year, it never mattered that Ryan Evans was in his classes. Now it seemed like the only thing that mattered.

One day in the third week of school, Darbus made some announcement for planning the winter musical early. Sharpay, of course, jumped up and volunteered to help out with whatever she could. Ryan said pretty much the same thing in a less, well, loud way.

Then Gabriella, and strangely enough, Troy, volunteered. What was Troy thinking? He knew this would interfere with his pre-season practice!

But then Chad, who had a moment of temporary insanity, raised his hand. "I can help out. With... building scenery or whatever."

"Well, Mr. Danforth." said Ms. Darbus. "I see you have come over from the dark side."

Chad didn't really care, and just shrugged. The only thing that mattered was the blond boy he saw out of the corner of his eye, smiling at him.

o O o O o O o O o

Yeah, Chad/Ryan is definitely my new favorite pairing. :D