Author's Note: No criticism so far. Only nice words. Thank you for nice words! They've spurred me on to get this chappie out! Now this is more for showing Chad and Sharpay's home lives, which are really relevant to their relationship. So no Chadpay interaction yet. Yet, I said. Soon. But not for now!
Chapter 2: A Side Order of Crazy
Chad"In the name of all things holy, woman! Not again!"
Mrs. Danforth's only reaction to Chad's lamentation was to blink insolently and return to the television.
Coach Bolton was considerate enough to take the Wildcats home himself following the impromptu practices he was prone to holding.
So Chad returned home that evening, damp and weary, to find his mother sitting cross-legged on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in her lap and The Phantom of the Opera blaring.
"Crawford is just so dynamic." For as long as Chad could remember, Michael Crawford had haunted not only the opera, but the refridgerator in their kitchen as well. Every time Chad wanted to fetch a carton of milk for breakfast, or juice after a lengthy, draining day of basketball practice, he was greeted by the freaking Phantom, leering at him from inside the fridge. It did not help his mood.
Chad eased into the couch next to his mother but resisted the urge to flop back, knowing it would earn him a chiding. Chad's mum loved her cream sofas, and hated to have them all sweat-stained and stinky.
"How was your day, baby?" she inquired, taking the popcorn from her lap and placing it in between them. Chad's mum asked him that every day, and he always felt better when she did, before he had even spoken. Because he knew she would listen.
Chad sighed, staring blankly at the screen. "Eventful."
"Eventful in what way?"
"Eventful in that my-friends-set-me-up-for-public-humiliation-as-a-practical-joke way."
She frowned and tilted her head to one side, her black corkscrew curls quivering a little with the action, her large beetle-black eyes concerned. "What did they do? Troy wasn't in on anything, was he?"
"He orchestrated the whole thing! He's evil, mum. My best friend is demon spawn!"
"Now, now," faint reprimand laced her voice. "Don't go saying things you know you'll regret. What did he do?"
He exhaled and scratched his head. "It's so monstrous, I can hardly bring myself to say it. He…he had the whole basketball team vote me as Head of Prom Committee. Me! That's a female thing, mum. Do you know how humiliating it is? It's like Jordan joining the Girl Scouts! It's…it's…are you laughing?"
Mrs. Danforth's cheeks flushed and her shoulders began to bob as a chuckle rose up out of her.
"It is not funny, woman! Do I look like the guy that color-coordinates and- and comes up with lame-ass themes and…"
His indignant spluttering only seemed to spur her on so that she was soon overtaken by hearty guffaws.
Chad glared at Michael Crawford until his mother finally regained her composure. She apologized profusely as she chuckled and wiped her eyes.
"Aw! Don't sulk, sweetheart," she poked his shoulder gently. "Come on. It's not that bad. Kinda funny actually. You picking themes and…hanging up decorations. But it doesn't have to be a female thing. It could be fun."
"Sure. In the same way sticking my head in an oven could be cozy."
Mrs. Danforth scoffed and slapped his shoulder lightly.
"As if that isn't bad enough," Chad bemoaned, wanting to extract the last dregs of self-pity, "I've got Sharpay Evans on my case. She feels like I stole her spot."
"Sharpay…Evans…" Mrs. Danforth rolled the name of her tongue, trying to conjure a face in her mind. "Oh! Sharpay. The skinny little blonde girl. The one who was always beating you up in kindergarten." No matter how old they all got, his mother would always attach Chad's peers to her memories of the children they once were.
"Only because you told me it's wrong to fight girls."
"That's right. She's a cute girl," Mrs. Danforth added significantly.
"Maybe. In that demented, frightening sort of way. Taylor's cute, too, though. Right?"
"Hm," said Mrs. Danforth vaguely. "Taylor's a nice girl."
Chad decided to glide over her indifference. As much as his mum tried to hide it, she could not seem to endorse Taylor as Chad's girlfriend. She was one of the reasons they were not quite 'a thing'. Rather they were trapped in the pergatory between friends and lovers, and had been for an uncomfortably long time.
He figured his mum would prefer someone like Sharpay. Somebody crazy and weird that reminded her of herself. But it wasn't always about what his mother wanted. It was about what he wanted. And what Chad absolutely, positively, irrefutably did not want, was Sharpay Evans. He had more than enough crazy in his life without her.
Chad grabbed a fistful of popcorn resolutely and went to take a shower. But for the rest of the night he found himself plagued with thoughts of what his life would might be like with a little extra crazy in it.
Sharpay"If we find her passed out in the kitchen," Sharpay drawled as she unlocked the front door, "you have to take her upstairs this time."
"That isn't going to happen again," said Ryan firmly. "It isn't!" he insisted at her smirk. "I really think the program is working for her. She even went to a meeting, remember?"
"Yeah," Sharpay sighed. "I remember."
Ryan had this thing for hopeless hopes, Sharpay mused as she flung open the door and swept into the foyer. He clung to optimism like a barnacle to a rock, while Shar was constantly running from it. Her brother's prevalent fantasy at this moment was that their mother would get herself together. And he honestly believed that a pamphlet and a meeting would fix it all.
Sharpay's ears picked up on something unusual the minute she walked into the house. Hushed whispers, seemingly from the living room. She glanced back at Ryan before moved toward the sunken living room, her heels clacking tentatively on the polished hardwood floors.
The sight they were presented with was rather awkward visually. Her mother in a pristine, flowing white dress, standing stiff as a poker by the fireplace, next to a man. A man that was not their father.
"Hey, kids!" Mrs. Evans chimed, her eyes sparkling. "How was your day?"
"Bearable," said Sharpay. "Who is this?"
"This?" she turned to the man standing next to her as if only just noticing him. "This is…Uncle Ricky!"
Uncle Ricky sported a leather jacket and garish Hawaiin shirt. He was tall and thick, with slick black hair and a stubbled chin. Sharpay noticed his squinty dark eyes were constantly roaming, as if searching for an escape.
"This is your…brother?" she inquired.
She bit her lip. "Well…no."
"Dad's brother," Ryan suggested.
"Uh…well…what I mean is…he's not uncle as in relation. But he's older than you so…uh…I met Ricky at that meeting I went to. He's a very helpful person to be around." And she nodded fervently for emphasis. Shar's eye began to drift away from the pair, to the half empty wine bottle and damp empty glasses on a table by the sofa. She didn't even bother exchanging a knowing glance with Ryan. He wouldn't see anything he didn't want to.
"We're going to go upstairs," she said slowly. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight!" her mother practically squealed.
"Goodnight, Uncle Ricky," said Ryan.
Uncle Ricky gave a small wave, not quite meeting their eyes. "Goodnight," he said in a low, rumbling voice.
Sharpay dragged Ryan away, up the stairs, into her room. It was only after slamming the door that she exclaimed, "The woman is crazy!And now she's bringing crazy strangers into our house!"
"He didn't seem crazy. Pretty nice actually."
"Oh, right. That one 'Goodnight' was just saturated with warmth and friendliness."
Ryan made a face. "If you're gonna be catty all night, I'm going to my room."
Sharpay's eyes widened as he turned to leave. "No! Don't go, Ry. I can't sleep knowing dad isn't here and there's a long-lost uncle in the living room with our mother. Stay with me, please," she whined.
Ryan sighed but finally relented with a smile. "Fine. I'll stay until you fall asleep. You want a bedtime story, too?"
"No," she chirped, kicking off her shoes and leaping onto her bed. "Let's talk about ideas for the Prom."
Ryan groaned and shuffled over to join her. "Why the heck am I even on the Committee?"
Shar smirked. "Because I got all your weird, drooling admirers in the Drama Club to vote."
"Sharpay! I didn't even want to be on the Committee. Do you know how stupid I look up there?"
"Well, I can't be expected to take over Prom all by myself, can I? Now." She flopped back on her big purple pillow, Ryan snuggled into a pink one. "How are we going to get Chad Danforth to quit without looking responsible in any way?"
Ryan's eyes widened. "No way, Sharpay! I'm not getting into that again. Remember what happened the last time you tried to scheme against a Wildcat? And the time before that?"
"That was different," she dismissed. "Troyella are just a pair of wide-eyed, dreamy dopes. Chad Danforth is true and pure evil. Prom doesn't mean anything to him. So it is our duty to bring him down. For your sake, for the school's sake, and most importantly, for my sake."
Ryan sighed and closed his eyes. He opted not to say so, but he earnestly believed that insanity was hereditary.
A/N: Don't despair! There will definitely be more Chadpay in the next chapter.
About TPotO, I just remembered Chad trying to scare Troy in HSM 1 with stories about ending up inside his mum's fridge (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you are no fan)! So since Chad's relationship with his mum is so important in this, I figured it was a detail worth adding. And one that might have significance later on.
So yeah! R&R, you generous readers, you!