author's note: hi everyone ! it's me (allyson) again. and if you don't remember who i am, well .. i don't exactly blame you. i know i haven't been updating in a very long time. but believe me, this isn't something i enjoy! i have been awfully busy with schoolwork. I live in the United States, and I just started high school. Yeah, not exactly pretty. but anyway. I am extremely sorry for the delay! and i can't guarantee frequent daily (or even weekly) updates, but believe me when i say i am not finished with this story yet. so keep reading and reviewing ! it makes me happy to see people are enjoying the story. xD
anyway, enjoy the chapter ! it's a rather shocking one, i give it that.
Chapter Fourteen – Changes for Everyone
Eyes focused, Sharpay scanned the crowd behind her for any signs of familiar faces. None. She looked up helplessly at Mr. Jenkins, the tall man wearing a sharp tuxedo that was standing behind her. He coughed slightly. "They'll be here soon, Miss Evans. They're talking with their contractors."
As on cue, the mahogany-colored door swung open and out came two more government agency men, followed by Ryan and Sharpay's parents. They both looked tired and worn-out, especially Mrs. Evans.
Ryan and Sharpay did not run over to them. In fact, they hardly knew these people. Their father looked like he'd been in a fight, and their mother seemed ready to collapse. Her face was ghostly white. Sharpay just stared at her, frightened a bit by her appearance.
"Well. If it isn't the two troublemakers," growled Mr. George Evans, glaring at his two children before him. His voice had a slight meaner edge to it. Yep, Sharpay thought timidly, gazing upon his haunted face, he's changed since we last saw him.
Mrs. Evans, however, did not say anything. She was turning whiter and whiter. Mr. Jenkins tapped her on the shoulder lightly, asking in a concerned voice, "Emily? Mrs. Evans? Are you alright?"
She answered by fainting on the floor. Sharpay screamed.
---
"How is she?" Ryan asked, biting his lip hard as he waited patiently in the room with all the others.
Mr. Jenkins sighed. He was extremely tired from all this government business, and now something like this had to happen. "I—don't know yet. They won't let any of us see her, so she must be in critical condition. She's being operated on at the moment."
Ryan glanced at his younger sister, a worried expression on his face. She just stared blankly at the floor, her eyes wide and hollow looking. He knew she was scared for their mother. He took a deep breath and waited for what seemed like hours.
Finally the doctor, a timid man with a huge nose and little feet, appeared from the doorway. He had a grave look on his face, like something terrible had happened. Ryan once again braced himself for the words he was dreading to hear. All the others—Sharpay, Mr. Jenkins, and the people from the government—looked expectantly up at the doctor, praying for a miracle.
But the doctor shuffled his feet awkwardly before finally glancing up at everyone. Ryan closed his eyes, bracing himself. "The operation was…unsuccessful. Mrs. Evans had a severe heart attack." The doctor paused briefly, letting everyone take this news in. "There was…nothing we could do. I-I'm sorry."
He gave them a slow nod and then walked away, his feet echoing in the long, empty hallway. No one spoke. Mr. Jenkins was biting his lip awfully hard that it looked ready to bleed. The truth was, even though he knew it wasn't part of his job description, he was starting to really care about what was happening here. He'd never had to deal with death during any of his assignments. Now he just wanted to do all he can to comfort the Evans family. He'd never felt more sorry in his life. Especially for the kids.
Sharpay's head was in her lap. She was already bawling her eyes out, the tears first coming slow and then pouring down like rain, trickling down her face. She could not believe this was actually happening. Ryan, however, had his head down, staring at the hard tile floor. No tears were falling from his eyes—at least, not yet, he knew. But he refused to cry. He would not believe what the doctor had just told them. Ryan, like his sister, could not believe what was happening to them.
Mr. Jenkins coughed briefly—his heart was going out to them in this moment of grieving—and mumbled, "I know this isn't exactly the right moment but…we have a few arrangements to make…"
Like robots, the two siblings stood up and followed him out the door. Sharpay scuttled into her brother's arms and rested there, sobbing onto his shoulder. He patted her gently on the back and at that moment his heart burst. He wanted to let the tears go, but he refused to open the floodgates. He would wait.
They sat quietly in the big black stretch government car and waited. Finally the door opened and Mr. Jenkins came in. He sat down beside them and paused for a few minutes before finally speaking. This would be the hardest part of his career—breaking even more bad news to people who were already about to break themselves. His heart went out to these two sad teenagers, and he wished he could do something more to help them both…but what?
"I um, I know everything has been incredibly difficult for you two," he finally said awkwardly, clearing his throat. "What with the house being destroyed, along with all your belongings, and then being sent off to a foreign city with a complete stranger…and then finding out the terrible news. I hate to do this to you two, but we are left with no other choice. I understand that your father has changed a lot over the period of time—"
"Are we going to live with him?" Sharpay croaked, finally able to speak through her tears.
Mr. Jenkins held his breath. He didn't know what to say. "I—well, yes," he said awkwardly. "He is, after all, still your parent."
Ryan was angry. First his house burns, then his mom dies, and now this? There was no way. "Dad might be related to us, but if you haven't noticed, he's got a serious problem and I don't know what it is, but I'm not willing to find out. You can't make us live with that man," he growled.
"I don't…we have no choice, Mr. Evans. You are his children. He already has a small house at the edge of town and is waiting for you two right now—"
"But you can't make us actually live with him!" Ryan cried, furious.
"—and we're going to take you there," finished Mr. Jenkins, not blinking an eye. He was dead serious about this, even when he didn't want to be.
Defeated, Ryan and Sharpay looked at each other and sighed. They knew they had no other choice.
---
The weekend had been a long one, but once it finally passed Troy Bolton was in no mood to go back to school. He had a mission, but he didn't know if he was up for it. He'd spent Saturday and Sunday thinking about what he was going to do, and how he was going to do it. It was a dangerous, brave, daring plan, but it was the only plan Troy had.
He took several deep breaths, calming himself before he stepped out of his car—he usually drove to school, since his dad had to get there an hour earlier before him—and into the bright, buzzing campus of East High School. The minute he was out, all eyes were staring at him. They all know about Gabriella, Troy realized, blushing and swinging his backpack around his shoulder. They all feel sorry for me.
Out of the corner of his eye, Troy saw Chad looking at him too, but when he glanced back Chad turned away, hurt in his eyes. Troy wondered if he was mad at him for not telling about Gabriella. Sigh. He knew he'd have to fix this, and it was either now or never.
Ignoring the whispers all around him, Troy pushed his way through the chattering groups of students—it was all about cliques in high school—and found Chad by the water fountain, headphones in his ears. He snuck up from behind them and gently pulled them out. Chad looked annoyed and ready to start firing at him, when he saw that it was Troy and not some random kid.
"Oh," he said, grumbling. "It's you."
Troy sighed and put a hand on Chad's shoulder. "Look, dude. I know you're pissed at me for not telling you about…you know. But it's not like I didn't want to. It's just—I don't know, I couldn't trust anyone for a while. I was insecure," he admitted.
"Oh yeah, so you can trust Kelsi Neilson, a.k.a. the School Loner, more than you trust me?"
"I…" Troy glanced up, confused. He had to admit though; Kelsi the "loner" could be a lot more trustable than Chad the Great. "Jeez, Chad, what kind of guy do you take me for? Kelsi might not have a lot of friends, but she's still my friend. And she's nice, and plays really good piano, and—"
But Chad put up a hand, interrupting him again. "Yeah, Bolton, we get it," he snapped. "You're Gabriella Montez's boyfriend. You have to be all nicey-nice to everyone. You're Mr. Perfect, every girl's dream boy. Of course you have to tell Kelsi first; after all, she's your best friend now, right?" Chad knew he was going a little over the top with his sarcasm, but he enjoyed it anyway.
The look on Troy's face was surprise. "I…what, no! Kelsi isn't my best friend. She's just a really close friend. It's just…okay; it's because of Taylor. You were pulling away from her, not being dependable and committed and trustable. She was hurt, and you didn't care. So what if I told you about Gabi first, and you didn't care either?"
Now Chad was pretty angry. He couldn't believe Troy was bringing Taylor into this conversation. Taylor McKessie, the girl he'd spent all his weekend thinking about. He wanted her back. But what did that have to do with all this? Oh, he was angry. "That's all bull!" he yelled in Troy's face, startling him. "That's all a bunch of crap! You don't have any idea what's happened to Taylor and me! I do care about her, for your information, so much. Probably more than you care about Gabriella."
The words "probably more than you care about Gabriella" stabbed Troy like needles in his heart. He knew it was true, that it could really be true, and he felt guilty. Did everyone know about Anna Cole and him? Was someone watching when they kissed?
"You don't know that," Troy muttered, looking down shamefaced.
"Well whatever," Chad said, ignoring the comment. "If you didn't know, Mr. Hot Shot Basketball Guy, I broke up with Taylor when I still freaking love her. I made the biggest mistake in my life. I lost the one person I love. And if you think you're hurting, how do you think I feel!"
Troy finally looked up at his best friend, and his heart instantly went out to the poor guy. Chad's face was buried in his arms, but no tears were falling out. Chad was a strong guy. Yet he still didn't know about Taylor's being pregnant. He did have a right to know. When was Taylor going to even tell him?
"Hey, Chad. Hey." Biting his lip, Troy put an arm around his best friend. "I know you two broke up. Taylor told me. And I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier…I was waiting until the right time. But I guess there is no right time. And you know, you really should've come to me for advice, man. I'm here for you, buddy, remember?" He smiled sheepishly.
Chad laughed for the first time in days. "Yeah? So what, now you're Dr. Phil or something? Maybe you should write a book on how to be the perfect boyfriend," he said. "It would be a bestseller."
"Nah." Troy laughed along with him, suddenly feeling as great as he felt before, first with Gabriella and then with Anna. "I don't think there is such thing as being the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend. I mean, there's no such thing as being perfect, 'cause nobody is. You just have to like, be yourself."
The two best friends, glad to finally be talking again after a while, laughed and joked around for the rest of the morning. Troy gave Chad more "boyfriend advice" but he never said anything about Taylor being pregnant, no matter how much he wanted to. Finally the bell for homeroom rang and the boys went into Ms. Darbus's classroom, laughing and talking about the lunch menu for today. The subject of Gabriella was out of their minds—at least, until they sat down in their desks for homeroom.
A minute after they entered, Taylor McKessie sauntered in, seeming a bit happy. She avoided eye contact with Troy but looked at him expectantly. Chad saw this but he didn't say anything, just kept pretending to smile at everyone and talk to Troy. Jason, who was sitting quietly in the back row, saw them talking and grinned in spite of himself. At least their friends again, he thought happily.
Everyone was still staring at Troy and whispering until Ms. Darbus entered the room, her eyes looking grayer than usual, her face pale white. In an instant everybody knew something was wrong. Troy glanced around the classroom and noticed more than one empty desk…not only Gabriella's, but also Ryan and Sharpay's. Where were those two anyway?
"I…students, I have a few startling announcements to make," Ms. Darbus was saying in a choked-up voice. "Well, one startling announcement. You may have noticed that our two star pupils Ryan and Sharpay are not present with us today—"
"Yeah, the room's a lot quieter!" joked a guy named Brandon in the third row. Several kids laughed.
Ms. Darbus narrowed her eyes at him. "You will not leave homeroom until 10 minutes after the bell, Mr. Delaney," she snapped. "And how about joining us after school for detention?"
Brandon Delaney shut his mouth and was quiet for the rest of the homeroom period.
"Anyway," Darbus continued, ignoring the snickers she kept hearing around the room, "the two siblings are gone because they have been moved to a location among the outskirts of town. I have heard from a reliable source that their mother died and they are currently living with their father, but they will not be back for a few days until everything—and everyone—is settled."
The class was shocked. Mrs. Evans died? Oh God, how sad. Poor Ryan and Sharpay.
Troy was wondering if the same thing would happen to Gabriella. Oh God, please, no, he pleaded in his mind. But he knew it could happen. That was the last thing he wanted to think about right now.
Chad noticed the weird look on his face. He tapped him twice on the shoulder. "Dude, you okay?"
"…What? Oh yeah, man, I'm fine," Troy replied, coming back into reality.
People all over the room were gossiping loudly about Ryan and Sharpay, probably planning to start up more juicy-but-hurtful rumors about them. Troy wished he could be somewhere else right now, preferably with Anna. She could make him forget about death any day.
The bell signaling the end of homeroom rang and everyone rose out of their seats, swinging their backpacks over their shoulders and still whispering about Ryan and Sharpay. Troy felt sick as he wandered aimlessly to his first period, American History. Chad followed him in silence.
Finally he stepped in front of Troy, looking stern. "Dude. You seem distant. Everything okay?"
Troy didn't have a chance to answer because he noticed Taylor watching him avidly from the corner and giving him the I-need-to-talk-to-you-now look. "Um, it's all good, man. Gotta go bye!" He whizzed off toward Taylor before Chad could open his mouth.
"Taylor," Troy panted, coming toward her through the buzzing crowd. "What's up?"
Taylor just rolled her eyes at him. "This is what's up," she said sarcastically, gesturing toward her stomach. Troy noticed the major noticeable changes. "I'm starting to show!"
He sighed and patted his friend on the shoulder. She just pouted. "You ought to tell him, Taylor," Troy finally said in a grave voice.
"Oh yes, Troy, ya think? But how am I supposed to do that!"
"Just go up to him, tell him, and it's done. No arguments, no complaints. Done. Final."
Taylor sighed and crossed her arms. She really didn't want to be the one to do this. "You know it's not as easy as you make it seem, Bolton. Chad is a lot more complicated than that. He'll go ballistic. He won't believe it. He'll buy me a thousand pregnancy tests even though they are all positive." She bit her lip in anguish.
"He's not that bad. I went up to him and explained the whole Gabriella situation this morning, and now we're acting like nothing ever happened," Troy replied easily. "C'mon, Tay. He's going to find out sometime."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Or not," she said viciously, "because you're not going to tell him. Or anyone, for that matter. Right Troy?" She gave him another cross-but-serious look. He gulped and nodded, wishing that she would just follow his advice. Why are girls so difficult? he thought wearily. Why don't they just follow their instincts and do what they know is right?
Taylor smiled vaguely, satisfied with his answer. "Good. See you at lunch, then." She sauntered off toward her next class, trying to cover her growing stomach with her jacket. The attempt wasn't working.
Sighing, Troy began to make his way through the crowded hall—avoiding the looks, glares, and Gabriella-related gossip going on around him—until he bumped into a group of chattering girls with blonde hair, perfect skin and teeth. The tallest one turned around and gave him a flirtatious smile. It was Julianne Crew.
"Hi Troy," she said loudly, creeping closer to him. "What an odd coincidence that we run into each other. Me and the girls were just talking about you." She casually gestured toward the chattering blonde group behind her, looking all preppy in their Abercrombie and Fitch matching sweaters. They giggled.
"Oh uh, hi Julianne," Troy mumbled, trying to squeeze his way out.
"You can call me Julie," she replied, pulling him back and putting her hands on his shoulders. He looked extremely uncomfortable surrounded by the group. "So are you going to Blake's party this week, Troy? It's on Friday."
The truth was, Troy had forgotten all about Blake Wagner—the popular football quarterback of East High—and his PPO "Popular People Only" party. He'd been busy visiting Gabriella at the hospital, studying, basketball, or thinking about Anna Cole to even care. He wasn't even sure if he should go. Not with Julianne and her posse mobbing him.
He cocked his head to the side and said casually, "I'm not sure if I can fit it on my To-Do list."
Julianne smiled, and Troy noticed how pretty she was—blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect teeth. But she was so rotten on the inside. "But you'll try, right Troy? Pleeeease? For me?" she asked, eyes sparkling.
Where have I heard that before? Troy thought, remembering those words. Oh yeah. It was about a year ago, when Sharpay Evans had asked him to watch her in the winter musical "Twinkle Towne." She'd used the same pleading tone as Julianne.
Troy smiled to himself, remembering this. He nodded slowly. "Sure. I'll try." He didn't know if he meant it.
"Thanks, Troy!" Julianne clapped her hands happily. "You are the best." Suddenly she leaned in, much to Troy's surprise, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Troy just stared at her, completely shocked. What if Blake saw this! He would be dead, so dead.
Julianne's posse was giggling loudly and smacking their big lipstick-smeared lips in his face. He backed away, ready to leave, just as Julianne was waving at him and blowing him playful kisses. Troy felt sick; silently gagging in his mouth.
"Oh, and don't bring any lighters this time, Troy!" Julianne squealed as Troy ran off. He was about midway through the hallway—which was emptying fast—when these words hit him hard, like a baseball bat to his face. Wait. How does Julianne know about the lighter?
He turned around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her oh-so-blonde hair, but she was gone.
---
"Zeke Jones."
Hearing his name, Zeke spun around to see Jamie Lynn, the blonde Wildcats cheerleader, coming his way, followed by a group of excited girls in matching uniforms. He managed a weak smile. Jamie was a little crazy, and perhaps too spirited, but she was still his friend.
She stretched out her arms—revealing her EHS cheerleading top—and gave Zeke a big friendly hug. "How ya been? Look, I know you really liked her and all. I'm really sorry," she said, patting Zeke on the head.
Zeke was downright confused. "Huh? What're you talking about?"
Jamie rolled her eyes and all her cheerleader friends laughed. "You mean you haven't heard? About Ryan and Sharpay." She was looking at him like he was an animal in a zoo exhibit.
"Um. I know they're not here today, but what does that have to do with—"
"Their mom died," said Jamie suddenly, putting her hand over her forehead dramatically. "Isn't it tragic? It was a heart attack; right after the parents came back from their extended vacation or whatever. So they're living with their father now, around the edge of town. I still can't believe you didn't hear! It's all over the school by now."
Shocked, Zeke didn't know what to say. Well what was he supposed to say? The love of his life—who actually, finally loved him back—was experiencing death in the family. He wanted to be there for her. He had to be…but how? Sharpay is far far away, he thought sadly, leaning to rest against a row of lockers. Who knows when she'll be back? She might never.
"We know you like Sharpay," Jamie was saying as Zeke snapped back to reality. "Well I mean, who doesn't? Anyway, we're really sorry, Zeke." She gave him another hug and some of her friends patted him appreciatively on the back before turning to leave, whispering loudly down the hall.
Zeke sighed and knew he should get going to class. Not that he was really looking forward to an hour of chemistry.
There was a basketball practice that evening, and when Zeke arrived, already dressed in uniform, he wasn't surprised to see the whole team packed tightly together in one group, no doubt gossiping about the sudden death in the Evans' family. When Zeke walked in, they all looked at him and started to whisper some more. Zeke decided to ignore this—the whole school had stared at and gossiped about him that day, so he was getting quite used to it.
At that moment Coach Bolton walked in, a weary look on his face. The team broke apart from their circle and pretended to be tying their shoes or looking up at the ceiling.
"Don't even try, guys. I know what everyone's been talking about," the tired coach immediately said. "Even the teachers are doing it, chatting about poor Ryan and Sharpay Evans. I don't know how many times I've heard those names all day."
Everyone looked guilty for a moment and then Coach told them to do laps, so their faces filled with relief. Zeke was about to take off after the rest of them when the coach called, "Except you, Zeke. I wanna talk with you." He motioned for him to come forward.
Zeke shyly stepped up. "Um, yessir, what's up?" he asked, hoping the answer wouldn't be related to Ryan and Sharpay.
But to his astonishment, Coach Bolton replied, "Have you been working on your free throws, Jones? While Troy isn't here right now, you're our secret weapon. You've got the best free throw shots in the whole team. Think you're up for the challenge? We got a big game against the Coyotes on Sunday." He smiled hazily.
"I—wow, sure! I think I can do it." Zeke was impressed with this offer. "Troy's not gonna be there for the game?"
The smile on Coach's face slipped off as easily as it had appeared earlier. "Ah…no, he will not," he said shortly. "And—neither will I."
What was going on here? How could Coach Bolton not be there for their big game? Zeke raised his eyebrows in confusion. And then it clicked.
"Gabriella business?" he asked grimly.
"Yeah." Jack Bolton wiped some sweat from his forehead. Boy, was it getting warm in here. Maybe they needed to fix the air-conditioning. "Actually…" He felt as though he could trust Zeke with this secret. He leaned down and whispered slowly, "She's awake."
"What?" Zeke yelled shrilly, completely shocked. The whole team, still doing their laps around the court, turned to look at him, wondering what in the world was going on. Coach Bolton told them to finish up their laps and then start drills.
Zeke, who was now shining with sweat and huffing, tried to calm himself down. He lowered his voice. "Did you say Gabriella's awake?" he asked slowly.
The tired coach frowned. "I…well, she's waking up. At least that's what the doctor told me earlier this morning. I got a phone call from St. Joseph's during school, maybe around second period. The doctor told me Gabriella's showing signs of actually waking up from her coma, but don't get your hopes up too high. It's a slim chance. They weren't expecting it this soon." He scratched his head and sighed.
"They're going to wait a week to see if she actually does awaken, and then Troy comes on Sunday morning to check up. I…I want to be there for him, so I'm going too." Jack bit his lip, knowing he made the right decision but still feeling unsure about it. He turned abruptly to Zeke and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know I haven't really trusted you before. But Chad…keep this on the down low, but he's not been himself lately. Is he taking drugs or something? He looks skinnier. Anyway, that's why I'm putting you in charge for the week, at least until I come back. Think you can do it, Jones?"
Zeke grinned in spite of himself…his first smile that whole day. "Yeah, why not, Coach?"
Jack laughed. "Okay, now go join the rest of the team for warm ups. You're in charge."
"Alright." Zeke was about to take off, when he called out, "And um, Coach Bolton?"
Jack turned to look at him. "Yeah?" he asked.
Fumbling with the hem of his shorts, Zeke bit his lip and forced himself to blurt out unexpectedly, "Did you tell Troy yet? You know, about Gabriella?"
There was a momentary pause and Jack sadly shook his head. "No Zeke, I didn't," he admitted quietly. "But I will. Tonight." Zeke, understanding, nodded and took off down the court to join the rest of the team. He was still amazed that he would be the one in charge of them for a few days. He would get to be playmaker, for once in his life.
Feeling important, Zeke yelled out, "Okay guys! Um…pair up!"
Everyone turned to look at him. A few guys started laughing. Chad Danforth, who was standing sullenly in the corner, jumped up and sneered, "What, Jones, you our coach now?"
Zeke actually nodded. "Yes, Chad, I'm in charge. At least, for a little bit," he said, not flinching.
Coach Bolton was right, he realized as Chad was stepping forward up to him, trying to look all important-like. Chad is different. Did something happen? Maybe I should go talk to him. He cast a sideways look at Jason, who stood stiffly beside one of the players named Allan. Jason just shrugged at him.
"Okay, Jones." Chad was up in Zeke's face now, his big bushy hair covering one of his eyes. "You're our coach. Show us some moves." He grinned and some guys laughed.
Zeke pushed him away. "Dude. What's up with you? Are you on crack or something?"
But Chad shoved him even harder. "No man, what's up with you? You think you're all important now, huh, just 'cause you're the guy everyone's talking about. You're little miss Sharpay's boyfriend now, right? You think you're so tough." He was mocking him.
"Well just because Coach Bolton put you in charge doesn't mean it's your turn to rule the school, Jones," Chad continued, snarling. "Troy's still playmaker here. And I'm still—"
"Hey, if you worship Troy so much, always up in his case, why don't you just talk to him!" Zeke shouted, now angry.
For this Chad shoved him harder. "What the hell! For your information, Zeke, I am talking to him. And I never worship the guy, he's just my best friend," he snapped, annoyed.
"Yeah?" Zeke challenged, his face reddening. "And what about Taylor? Whatever happened to—"
He was about to finish when Jason stepped in between them, holding his hands out.
Jason, feeling somewhat superior, called out, "Hey, hey! Can we just stop fighting now? I'm here for basketball practice, not some kind of drama fight scene!" The rest of the team agreed, nodding their heads and looking annoyed.
But Chad wasn't willing to give up. "NO!" he roared, trying lunge at Zeke but couldn't because he was being held back by two other guys. "I want to hear what he was going to say about Taylor!"
Zeke was silent, looking down at the gym floor and not cooperating.
Jason rolled his eyes. "Alright, either I practice some basketball here, or we all leave," he said quietly, his voice echoing in the gym. "Go solve your issues some other time." Everyone nodded, agreeing. There were shouts and protests of "yeah" and "we don't need no soap opera" going around.
Chad and Zeke felt a little bit embarrassed by their actions, but pushed away nevertheless. "Fine," said Chad, pretending to brush some invisible dirt off his shoulder. "I don't need to be hearing this shit anyway." He stalked off, coughing and muttering.
Still silent, Zeke watched after him, feeling guilty. The person who had just pushed and shouted at his old longtime friend was not the Zeke he'd once known. Could it be possible that he was changing, too?
"Alright um." He turned resentfully to face the team, looking expectantly up at him, waiting to do something. "Let's just start with drills."
author's note: well there you go! I hope you liked it. personally, i think Chad is becoming an ass .. but i'm sure glad he made up with Troy, sort of.
please feel free to express your opinions on the way the story is turning out .. it really helps as well. Oh, and don't forget to read & review! thanksss!