A/N: So the next few chapters both incorporate some big leaps in time, let me know if you find them confusing at all and I'll see what I can do. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
It had been two weeks since "the day," as Kaden and Ryan referred to it. Two weeks of pure hell. It had never crossed any of their minds that when a professor called a test a midterm it didn't necessarily mean that the actual test happened midway through the term. The four friends had been scrambling around one another, never really able to all hang out at once, but merely catching several minutes together where they could.
Troy and Jeff had been busy beginning the pledge process at their respective chapters and neither had as much time as they had wanted to spend with their … well, Jeff really didn't know what to call Kaden, yet. But regardless of that minute detail, they still had barely any time together.
Ryan was busy reading, writing and getting involved in certain activities. His new schedule was in part to gain connections around campus — if there was one thing he had learned from his father, it was that connections were necessary to be successful — but also in part to take his mind off the fact that he still felt neglected by Troy.
That's not to say that he didn't love, absolutely love, what Troy had done for him on "the day," but Ryan's idea of a relationship was not all about the extravagant plans that occurred every once in a while, it was about the small things, the daily reminders that no matter what, your partner was putting you in the forefront of his or her mind. That no matter what he was doing, Troy would always be thinking about Ryan. And it didn't seem like that was so much the case these days.
Every time, Ryan was able to get Troy's attention for longer than five minutes, it would ultimately end with Ryan being cut off and Troy running over to the fraternity house for one ungodly reason or another.
It was made even worse, some of the time, when Ryan would walk into his dorm room and be confronted with Jeff and Kaden, who had obviously just been making out, straightening up their clothes and taming their hair. It seemed that even the couple who couldn't even necessarily figure out what they were to one another could make more time to just be with each other than Troy could with Ryan.
It was the first time in more than a year that Ryan had felt this way. He didn't like it, but he didn't know what to do. The fraternity was still, and had always been, a touchy subject between the two, and Ryan just didn't know how to bring it up without another blowout happening.
The one shining light at the end of this tunnel was that Ryan's family was coming to visit in a matter of days. He missed his entire family, especially Sharpay. No matter how she acted at school and in public, she had been Ryan's best friend and confidant for more than 18 years, and only being able to speak with her intermittently over the phone was really beginning to take its toll. This visit was going to do as much to assuage Ryan's anxiety as it would to relieve his mother of the fact that he was living in a place where he had to do his own laundry and cleaning.
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"You think the bathroom was clean enough, don't you?" Ryan asked as he paced the sidewalk in front of his residence hall.
Troy let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "Ry, the bathroom is fine," Troy said. "In fact, you probably have the cleanest room in the entire campus. You don't need to worry about anything."
"I'm not worrying," Ryan said, still pacing. "I just don't want my parents to think I'm living in squalor. You know Sharpay is going to make some kind of comment about my room not being as big as her bathroom at home."
Troy reached out and grabbed his boyfriend, keeping him from walking a deeper rut in the sidewalk. He held him close and leaned his head against his boyfriend's. "Are you happy?" Troy asked. Ryan looked up and nodded to Troy. "Then your family will be happy. Now, just stand still. You were starting to make me dizzy."
Ryan laughed and slipped out of Troy's grip, but still leaned against the brunette. "I know. I just … you know, I haven't seen them in a while and I want them to know I'm taking care of myself. You know, that I'm able to take care of myself."
Troy knew. It had taken a lot of convincing for Ryan's parents to finally agree to let Ryan attend school out of state. Troy could see where his parents were coming from, in the fact that Ryan had never really been left to his own devices, but he had full confidence in his boyfriend's abilities. It was a good thing his parents finally saw the same thing.
The two only stood alone for a few more minutes, until Ryan spotted his family car pulling down the street.
"They're here!" Ryan said excitedly as he watched the black SUV pull up in front of the building. He grabbed a hold of his boyfriend's hand and dragged him up to the curb. As soon as the car parked, Ryan was up to the passenger side door helping his mother out.
"Hi mom," he said as he enveloped the petite blonde in a hug that looked like it might suffocate the smaller woman.
"Hello, Ducky," Mrs. Evans replied, returning the hug with equal enthusiasm. Ryan was so happy to see his family that he didn't even chide his mother for using the nickname out in public.
There was a slight cough to the side of the two hugging family members, and Ryan turned his head in that direction. His smile widened and before his mother knew it, her baby boy was running over to grab his sister.
"Shar!" Ryan exclaimed. "Oh my gosh, it's so good to have you here. I've missed you so much." Ryan hugged his sister tightly, which she returned.
While the three blonds were embracing and exchanging pleasantries, Mr. Evans walked over toward Troy and slapped the athlete on the back. "Good to see you, son," he said as he reached over to grasp Troy's extended hand.
"Good to see you, too, sir," Troy replied. He really liked Mr. Evans, but the father of his boyfriend could still be pretty intimidating when he wanted to. Apparently now was one of those times. He looked down at his son's boyfriend, and then over to his son. "Is he doing okay?"
Troy looked over at his boyfriend who was still speaking animatedly with his mother and sister. "He's doing well," Troy replied. "He misses you guys terribly, but he's busy making a name for himself around here."
Ryan's father looked back over at his son, "We miss him, too," Mr. Evans said. "The house just isn't the same without him and his sister fighting and singing all the time." Then he looked back over to Troy. "We miss you, too, son."
Troy looked down at his shoes. He never really knew how to react when any of the Evans — aside from Ryan — showed him such affection. He looked back up at Ryan and felt his heart swell. He looked so happy with his family. Happier then he had been in several days. This was exactly what he needed.
Ryan finally parted from his mother and sister and walked over to his dad with a smile on his face. He reached out and was soon enveloped in his dad's strong arms. "I've missed you, dad," he breathed out into his dad's shoulder. The two hugged for several seconds before they broke apart.
Then Ryan walked over to Troy and grabbed his hand. The two stood side by side as Ryan's mother walked over to stand next to his father. Sharpay just stood next to her parents, checking her make up in a small mirror.
"Well," Ryan's father started. "Are we just going to stand outside all day staring at each other or are you going to take us inside and show us your new place?"
"Come on," Ryan said, turning on his heel and dragging Troy to the door of the building. "Just a warning, Shar, my room may not be up to your tastes."
"Few things ever live up, Ry," Sharpay said, following her brother inside the residence hall.
The family followed the two young men through the hallway leading to the elevator. They waited for several minutes for it to reach the ground floor, which Sharpay made sure to comment about. Once they were all standing inside the small metal box, Ryan pushed the appropriate button and they all began waiting again. Ryan couldn't help but laugh when he noticed his sister was trying with all her might to not touch any part of the elevator.
"You know," Ryan started. "Nothing's going to happen to you if you touch something, Sharpay."
"You don't know that," Sharpay said as she looked around her at the steel paneling all around her. "I don't trust anything that we haven't had our staff go over."
Ryan laughed at his sister's wiles. Soon they were walking out of the elevator and down the hallway to Ryan's room. Sharpay was getting a few looks from the random passers by. She usually got that kind of response with her ostentatious style, and yet she was never bothered by it.
They all finally reached his door, and Ryan hesitated for a second before turning the handle and walking into his room. Kaden was on his bed reading a textbook, and glanced up to see Ryan and his whole entourage enter. Ryan's family filed in and began looking at everything, from the arrangement of the furniture to the posters on the wall.
"It's awfully small," Sharpay finally said. "I mean, where does your roommate keep all of his clothes?"
"We share the space," Ryan said while shaking his head. "It's what we do."
"Oh no," Sharpay said. "That is unacceptable."
Ryan just rolled his eyes. "Speaking of my roommate," he said motioning to Kaden, who was still sitting on his bed, "This is Kaden, my roommate."
Sharpay looked over to where her brother was pointing. She arched her eyebrow as she surveyed the young man sitting on the bed, then she smiled and began walking over to him. She extended her hand and smiled, "I'm Sharpay. I'm sure Ryan's told you all about me." She batted her eyes and gave Kaden a flirtatious smile. Kaden just sat stone cold on his bed, not knowing how to proceed.
"Whoa, Shar," Ryan said, knowing exactly what his sister was thinking. "He's already seeing someone."
Sharpay just let out a sigh and spun around to look at her brother. "And let me guess," she began, "It's a boy." When Ryan didn't make a move to say anything different, she just quirked an eyebrow. "Why do all the seemingly good ones have to be gay? It's not like I'm asking for much, but come on. Throw me a bone."
Ryan laughed and he could see that Kaden had visibly relaxed. He sat down next to Kaden as Sharpay leaned against the desk and began looking over her nails. Troy was still standing by the entrance of the room.
"Well, Ducky," Ryan's mother began, smoothing out a patch of comforter on Ryan's bed before sitting down on it. "This is very nice."
Kaden shot a look over at Ryan and mouthed 'Ducky?' Ryan knew he was going to get some serious crap for that later. But it didn't matter. He was just happy to have his family with him for a little bit.
The six of them sat around for several more minutes chit-chatting, introducing Kaden to the family and talking about classes and activities they were all doing. Then Ryan's father stood up and announced: "Well, I think your mother and I are going to take our things to the hotel and get settled. Then we can come back and pick you all up and go to dinner. How does that sound?"
There was a chorus of greats and okays from three of the teens on the other side of the room. Troy however was silent.
"Actually, Mr. Evans," Troy began, "I have to go over to my fraternity house for some stuff. I won't be able to go."
"Come on, Troy," Ryan whined. "Can't you just skip one thing and come to dinner with all of us. I know dad wants to talk sports with you, and there's no way Kaden or I will be able to help out with that." Ryan looked at his boyfriend imploringly.
Usually, Troy couldn't resist the puppy dog eyes, but he just couldn't miss the things happening at the house. "I can't, Ry," he said. "I'll come by after I'm finished, okay?"
Ryan slumped a little, but nodded. Troy walked over and placed a kiss on his boyfriend's head before turning to say goodbye to Ryan's parents. "It was great seeing you guys. I'm sure we'll see each other again before you leave."
"We had better," Ryan's mother said as she got up off the bed to give Troy a hug. Then Ryan's father got up to give Troy a pat on the back. "I want a full brief on the state of sports at this school. I don't know much about the Pac-10, but I'm sure you can fill me in." Troy smiled at this, then turned to head out of the room. Ryan wouldn't meet his gaze as he walked past him.
After several more minutes, Ryan's parents and Sharpay were on their way to the hotel, promising to be back within the hour to pick up Ryan and Kaden for dinner.
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Thirty minutes after dinner found Ryan and Sharpay sitting on Ryan's bed, Ryan going through the latest issue of Cosmo, courtesy of his sister. Sharpay was sitting with her back to Ryan, one foot propped in front of her, a nail polish brush gliding across her toenails. Kaden made a quick exit right after dinner; he was probably going to see Jeff.
Sharpay put the finishing touches on one foot and then leaned back to admire her work. She looked over her shoulder and saw Ryan intently reading on of the guy advice columns. 'Typical Ryan,' she thought to herself.
"So, are you going to tell me what's eating you or are you going to make me guess?" Sharpay finally asked. Watching her nail polish dry no longer held her interest apparently. "I mean, watching you read is fascinating, but I'm more interested in why you've been skulking around since Troy took off earlier."
"You don't waste any time, do you?" Ryan asked as he put the magazine down. He looked up to see Sharpay and gasped when he saw her. "Jesus, Shar, warn someone when you look like that."
She had put some sort of facial on. It was green and grimey. It looked like guacamole. Chances are it probably was. "Look," Sharpay said, "you know I need to moisturize every evening. I've been doing it for more than four years. You should be used to it by now … and stop trying to change the topic. Tell me what's wrong."
Ryan looked like he was going to challenge her, but Sharpay put a stop to that futile attempt. "I know these things, Ry," she said. "I'm your twin. You can't hide it from me."
Ryan sighed and moved on the bed so that he could rest his head on his sister's shoulder. Sharpay felt a thrill of foreboding rush through her; Ryan hadn't done anything like this since high school — since he had started dating Troy.
"I don't know, Shar," Ryan said somewhat dejectedly. "Sometimes I just think I'm being a big baby about it, but other times it's like he just forgets that I'm here waiting for him to finish whatever he's doing and pay attention to me."
Sharpay rested her head on top of her brother's, making sure to not get any of her facial mask on him. "Have you talked to him about it?"
"I don't know how to bring it up to him," Ryan said. "The last time I said something about his fraternity, we got into this huge fight and made a scene in the middle of a crowded building."
"Well," Sharpay said, lifting her head so that she could get a better view of her brother. "Was that you actually trying to talk to him about it, or you just making fun of it? Because there's a big difference."
Ryan blushed. Damn this twin connection. Sharpay noticed and smiled. "You know, I bet if you talked to him about it, he'd do something. You know he doesn't ever mean to hurt you or make you feel bad."
"I know," Ryan sighed. "I just don't want to be that person, you know? The one who always wants to know where he is and what he's doing. I don't want to be the ball and chain."
"There is a huge difference between being a ball and chain and wanting to spend some quality time with your boyfriend," Sharpay said. "He knows that."
"I guess you're right," Ryan admitted. "Maybe I'll talk to him about it tomorrow."
"That's a good boy," Sharpay said as she petted Ryan's head. "Now, do you have any sugar around here? No chocolate, though. I don't want to break out."
Ryan laughed at his sister. "Shar, you're wearing a batch of guacamole on your face, why don't you just get some chips and scrape it off."
"That's disgusting," Sharpay said, smacking her brother on the shoulder. "And this is not guacamole. This is … well, it's imported. And expensive. Seriously, though. Sugar. Now."
Ryan continued laughing as he reached into his desk and grabbed a bag of sour gummy worms and tossed them to his sister. "Mmm," she said as she tore into the bag, "my favorite."
They spent the next while catching up and gossiping about their mutual friends from school. Many had stayed home and enrolled in the local university, including Sharpay. Apparently she was finding out where she belonged. She had been cast in one of the co-starring roles for the university's fall musical. Not one of the leads yet, but if you asked Sharpay, it would happen by the end of the year. And with her determination and motivation it probably would happen.
Ryan felt a small pang as he listened to his sister talk about all their friends, and what it was like working on an even bigger stage for an even bigger audience. Maybe he would have to look into the theater department.
Eventually, Ryan drifted off into his own world, thinking about everything that was happening to him while all of his friends and family were going through something completely different. His thoughts drifted to Troy, to the new friends he had made since arriving at school, back to Troy and then to the gummy worm he had sucked all the sour stuff from. He laughed to himself as he pulled the worm out of his mouth, and then jumped when his sister's voice finally re-entered his consciousness.
"Are you even listening to me, Ryan?" Sharpay asked from beside him.
"Uh … no?" he replied, and then immediately followed it up with a placation. "I'm sorry, Shar, I was just thinking about things."
Their conversation was abruptly stalled when the door to the room opened and Kaden slowly walked in. He looked contemplative, about what, the twins couldn't tell, so they just sat quietly on the bed, waiting for his attention to be drawn to them.
Kaden put his jacket on the back of his chair and then turned toward his roommate's bed. He jumped back, somewhat startled, when he finally took in the state of the two siblings sitting there.
His mouth hung open for a few seconds before he realized how awkward he must be looking. Then he tried for a moment to vocalize something. Sharpay cut him off, however.
"I don't let many people see me like this, Kaden," she said. "Don't make me regret letting you live."
Kaden's eyes widened comically, then Ryan started laughing, soon followed by his sister. After several seconds, Kaden finally joined in. Ryan invited his roommate to join them on his bed and the three talked late into the night about all manner of things — mostly boys.
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Kaden had just left Ryan and Sharpay in front of their residence hall. He had thanked Mr. and Mrs. Evans for the wonderful dinner and had then taken off for somewhere unknown to the rest of the group. He got a text message from Jeff during dinner asking to meet on campus. And that's where he was headed at this very moment.
He was walking down one of the streets by a cluster of academic buildings, enjoying the light breeze. The street lamps had just turned on, and the sky was painted a range of oranges and reds. Kaden was so caught up in taking in his surroundings that he never noticed the arm coming out behind him and forcefully pulling him into an outcropping of shrubbery. He let out a very unmanly squeak before coming face to face with Jeff … his, well, as yet to be determined friend with benefits.
"Hey, stranger," Jeff said as he helped right his unbalanced … friend. "Long time no see." He then leaned over and placed a light peck on Kaden's lips.
"Right," Kaden said as he smiled at Jeff. "Because anything more than 12 hours is such a long, long time." He then playfully kissed Jeff back.
The two of them quickly became engrossed in one another, which was something that happened all too often lately. Jeff teased Kaden's lips open and began delving into the soft warmth of his mouth, his hands running through Kaden's blond hair. Kaden's hands rested on Jeff's chest, and what a firm chest it was, feeling the heat coming off his almost-boyfriend's body.
Kaden sighed and pulled away, smiling. "I missed you," he said.
"Oh yeah?" Jeff asked. "Weren't you just the one saying that we haven't been apart long enough to miss each other?
"I guess," Kaden said begrudgingly. "If you want to be accurate and all."
Jeff just laughed and sat down on the ground, pulling Kaden on top of him. The two huddled together and continued kissing quietly, between exchanging gentle looks and comforting caresses. Things between then just felt so right. It was hard to explain, but neither of them wanted to question much of anything when they were with each other.
"So, how was dinner with the whole Evans family?" Jeff asked, poking Kaden in the side.
Kaden slapped Jeff's wandering hand away and snuggled in closer. "It was great," he started. "For all their eccentricities, and trust me, they have plenty, they love each other and you can totally tell it. Oh my gosh! And his sister!"
"Is she everything that Ryan has made her up to be?" Jeff interrupted, asking the question that had been on his mind ever since he found out Kaden was going to dinner with them. There was no way Sharpay could really be everything Ryan had made her up to be.
"Everything and more," Kaden said excitedly. "She is so funny and rude and fashionable and, oh man, it's just … you have to meet her before they all leave."
"I'll make a point to, then," Jeff said. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, Kaden still sitting on Jeff's lap, just soaking up being with each other. There weren't many opportunities for the two of them to just be with each other, so Kaden was going to be damned if he ever let one opportunity pass him by.
"So, I've been thinking," Jeff said, breaking the silence. "Actually I've been thinking a lot …" he trailed off.
When Jeff didn't immediately pick up his train of thought, Kaden leaned and poked him in the side. "You've been thinking a lot about what? How uncomfortable sitting on the ground is? How you're going to finish that paper for your writing class? Or wait, I know, you've been thinking about how even though boxer briefs provide the extra support, you just can't beat the freedom provided by regular boxers."
Jeff laughed and laid his head on Kaden's shoulder. "No," he began, "I've been thinking about us." Then he turned lifted his head so he was able to look Kaden directly in the eyes. "I've been thinking a lot about us, about where we're going, what we're doing."
At that Kaden pulled back from Jeff. He was pretty sure he knew where this was going. He had been on the receiving end of a break up enough times to know what it looked like. At least Jeff was doing him the courtesy of breaking it off before he became too attached, well more attached than he already had become.
"Kade," Jeff said, using Kaden's nickname to bring him out of his reverie. "Hey, I'm right here. Where did you go?"
"Sorry," Kaden said, still trying to shake off the feeling of foreboding he was getting. "What were you saying."
"I was saying," Jeff said, while bringing Kaden's line of vision back to his out, "I was saying that I want you to be my boyfriend. I want us to be boyfriends."
Kaden had no idea what to say. This was certainly not what he had been expecting. Boyfriends? Was Jeff serious? He just stared at Jeff for he didn't know how long, his mouth not moving. He was actually unable to form words.
"Kade?" Jeff asked, now looking far less confident than he had a few seconds ago. "Did you hear what I said?"
That seemed to push Kaden into action. He wrapped his arms around Jeff, which caused the two to loose balance and fall back on the ground. Before Jeff knew what was going on, he had a big face full of his new boyfriend.
Once he finally was able to pull away from Kaden's kisses, he chuckled and said, "So, I'll take that as a yes?"
Kaden could only nod enthusiastically. The two continued to make out for several more minutes before it became too dark, and too cold, to continue. Jeff helped Kaden up off the ground and then out of the bush. They continued to stroll down the sidewalk, hand in hand, Jeff leading Kaden back to his dorm. Kaden was on cloud nine. That is, until they came close to another couple walking in the opposite direction.
Jeff nonchalantly let his hand fall from Kaden's grasp and then moved imperceptibly further away from Kaden. It all happened so fast, Kaden didn't even know what to think. The two continued to walk in silence until they were almost at the residence hall.
"I'm glad you said yes," Jeff said. "I really am."
"I'm glad you finally got the balls to ask me," Kaden replied, grinning coyly. He then made a move to plant a quick kiss on his boyfriend's lips.
Jeff smoothly dodged the kiss, and looked around before bringing his attention back to the blond standing in front of him. "But," he began somewhat nervously, "maybe we should keep things to a minimum in public … you know?"
Kaden frowned slightly. He didn't exactly understand what Jeff was trying to say and it seemed that Jeff was at least able to pick up on that fact. "I mean … you know, not everybody, just … certain people. Like my fraternity."
At Kaden's still confused look, Jeff continued, "I mean, I just don't know how they'd take it, you know?"
Kaden just nodded. He didn't really get it, but he wasn't going to let that get in the way of what had been a great evening. Jeff smiled, looked around again, and leaned forward to peck Kaden on the lips.
He then stepped back and gave a slight wave as he took off in the direction of his dorm. Even though Kaden watched him walk away with a slight skip to his step, he couldn't help feeling as though he had just been slighted somehow.
A/N: So, I have the whole story mapped out now and I'm pretty excited about that. I looks like it will probably be about 24 chapters. Also, I kept forgetting to say something in response to some of the comments about Parker. He's not meant to be anything more than a peripheral character … then again, that's all that Jeff and Kaden were supposed to be and we all see how that turned out. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. Please read and review!!