Cinderella

Chapter Seven: A Close Call

A/N: Hello, my beautiful (or handsome) reviewers, how are you? I am fine, thank-you very much. I noticed that some of you put my new story, Truth or Dare, on your story alert list. This is not, I repeat, NOT, a continuing story. It is a oneshot. Sorry to get your hopes up. Anyway, back to Chapter Seven: A Close Call.

Disclaimer: For the last time, I DO NOT OWN HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL! Thank-you. And I don't own Starbucks.

I panicked. How could I answer that? I obviously couldn't show him the mask, he would recognize it! What could I do? Then, a brilliant idea struck me.

"It's, um, you know, lady stuff." I said, knowing that that would get him off my back. I said a silent thank-you that the bags were unmarked.

"Oh," Chad said, looking down at his shoes and turning red. "Sorry 'bout that, I didn't mean to snoop."

"It's OK; I've got nothing to hide." I replied, waving it off. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Gabriella and Troy were having a whispered conversation, and that Gabi was not looking too happy. I decided to let them talk, so I continued my conversation with Chad. "Yeah, so, what were you and Troy doing here?"

"Oh," Chad sounded relieved for a change of subject. "Um, we were here looking for suits to wear to the masquerade. Actually, Troy was. I already have mine. We're going back to his house to shoot some hoops afterwards."

I saw that Troy and Gabi's conversation was done. I bid good-bye to Chad, and stood beside Gabriella.

"Come on, Gabi, lets go," I said, pulling her away to a bench nearby. I waited for the guys to walk away, and then turned on Gabi.

"What were you and Troy talking about? You looked mad!"

"Oh, Taylor, Troy hasn't told Chad about Tonya yet! But," she added quickly, "He will as soon as they get back to his house."

"Oh, good." I sighed with relief. "Hey, do you want to get some Starbucks?"

HSMISCOOL-HSMISCOOL-HSMISCOOL

(A/N: This is now from Troy's POV thanks.)

Chad and I were chilling in my kitchen after an intense game of one-on-one on my court. I gave him a sidelong look. Should I really tell him about Tonya? I shook that thought off. I knew it was true because Gabi told it to me. She's my girlfriend; she would never lie to me. Also, I didn't want Chad to become part of a messed-up love triangle.

"Hey Chad," I started off cautiously, "Do you know Blake Penner?"

Chad looked at me. "I think so. He's a skater guy, right?"

I nodded my head. "Right. And his girlfriend is Tonya Wagner."

Chad looked surprised. "You're kidding me. I thought Tonya liked me! Why was she flirting with me if she had a boyfriend?!"

I sighed. Chad was not always on the ball. "Well, maybe because she's a… oh, I don't know, maybe a SLUT!" I practically screamed. Chad looked at me.

"Whoa, Troy, calm down. I'll tell her I'm not interested, OK? In fact," he continued, "I'll call her right now, if it makes you feel better."

"Good idea." I said, and grabbed the school phonebook and my phone.

"OK, so her number is 725-6845 (A/N: I just made that up, don't call it.)." Chad dialed the number. Beep, boop, beep, beep, boop, beep, boop.

Ring, ring, ring.

"Hello?" answered a mature-sounding female voice.

"Hi, um, Tonya?" Chad answered.

"This isn't Tonya; this is her sister, Maxine. I'll get her. May I ask who's calling?" the speakerphone replied to us. Oh, snap, I thought, Maxine sounds so polite for a Wagner.

"Um, this is Chad. From school," he said, as if she would know so many other Chad's.

"OK. Hold on a minute," I then heard a clink, and in the distance a faint, "Tonya! Phone for you!"

I heard footsteps, and then an out-of-breath voice say, "Hello?"

"Hey, Tonya, this is Chad. What's up?" Chad asked the speakerphone.

"Oh, nothing much, Chad, what's up with you?" she said, her voice changing from polite to sickeningly sweet when she heard it was Chad.

"Well, nothing much is happening to me, except… well, no, I shouldn't." Chad pretended to sound downcast. I wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but I decided to trust him. Besides, if I spoke, we would be given away.

"Shouldn't what, Chad?" Oh, my goodness, I was going to get a cavity from that voice if it didn't stop!

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me?" My jaw dropped. WHAT?! Chad looked at me, saw my expression, and grinned. I relaxed. This must be some part of the evil, twisted plan that Chad has. I turned my attention back to the speakerphone.

"Chad, I would love to go to the dance with you!" squealed Tonya. I grimaced. Great, now I had cavities and I was deaf.

"Well, you shouldn't," said Chad in a flat voice.

"What do you mean, I shouldn't?" asked Tonya, in a very confused voice.

"You shouldn't love going to the dance with me, because you have a boyfriend!" Chad practically screamed into the phone. There was silence on the other line, then-

"How do you know about Blake?" Tonya whispered.

"How do I? You guys were only making out in the library! What I don't get is, if you love him so much, why are you cheating on him?" Oh, man, Chad was good at this. He had gotten the information about Tonya from me, though, and I had gotten it from Gabriella, but that was OK if he didn't get it first hand.

"I was cheating on him because… well, can't you love two people at the same time?" she asked, clearly trying to dig herself out of the hole.

"No," said Chad flatly, "No, you can't. Especially when you already have a boyfriend. Now, please stop hitting on me, I like someone else, and leave me alone, got it? OK, bye!" he said, and slammed down the phone. I looked at Chad in amazement. He liked someone else? He never told me that!

"So, Chad," I said casually, "Who is this other person that you like?"

"No one, I just made that up so Tonya would stop flirting with me!" he said, going red in the face.

"Come on, Chad, I've known you since preschool, you can't lie to me. Tell me, who is it?" I pestered

"Well, OK, maybe I do like somebody. But I'm not telling you!" he said protectively.

I laughed. "Chad, you sound like a five-year-old girl."

Chad turned even redder. "Well, it's just that, it's not the usual type of girl that I like."

I understood. "Oh, so you don't like a cheerleader? Well, Chad, that's OK. They are kind of shallow."

"Yeah, well, whatever, Troy. Don't you have to go? It's already 5:30."

"Oh, crap!" I shouted, and ran out the door. I was supposed to be home by 5:30. I quickly got out my phone, sent Gabi a text message, and ran home as fast as I could.

HSMISCOOL-HSMISCOOL-HSMISCOOL

(A/N: This is now with Taylor and Gabriella at Gabriella's house, just FYI, and in Taylor's POV.)

Gabriella and I were studying at her house when we were interrupted by the ring of her cell phone.

"I'm bringing sexy back, yeah, you other boys don't know how to-" Gabriella answered her phone. "You have one new text message." Said her phone in a monotone voice.

"Oh, look, it's from Troy and it says- AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Gabriella screamed so loud, I swear I almost turned deaf.

"What, Gabi?" I said, impatient to hear the news.

"Well," she started off, "Troy says that Chad likes someone, but he won't tell him, and it's not a cheerleader!" Gabriella squealed.

"Great. And why is that a good thing?" I asked, confused.

"Well, it's obvious that it's you! I mean, you can so tell!"

"Whatever, Gabi." I rolled my eyes, and got back to work.

Yet, for some reason I couldn't quite concentrate on my work that day.

A/N: Yeah, sorry about the part from Troy's POV, he might have sounded gay, I dunno, because, see, I'm a girl and I don't quite know what guys think… so… that's that, please review, I love you, Muah!

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