Author's Note: After careful consideration I've decided to quit while I'm ahead and end this on a high! I've got some good ideas for other Chadpay fics (I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy writing these as much as I do) which I think you'll like, too.
But anyway. We're not done here yet! Chad's still got a girl to save (perhaps). And there's still Prom and dress-shopping and Taylor and Ryan…
Chapter 19: Good Guys and Bad Guys
Chad
Chad skidded to a halt at the receptionist's desk, panting. The slight woman of maybe thirty stared up at him, a vague smile on her face.
"Good evening, sir," she murmured. "You have a reserva-"
"No," Chad panted. He had just sprinted up from the parking lot and did not intend to slow down now. "I'm here for somebody. Sharpay Evans. And Lee Truman? I think they checked in…"
"About two hours ago, yes." Once again Chad's heart dipped. If he was too late…
"I need their room number! Please," he added with a hasty sort of charm that only he could pull off in such a state.
She shrugged a little. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not at liberty to release that information. As a professional employee of a professional resort it would be indefensible of me to-"
"She's in trouble," he uttered through gritted teeth. "I have to find her now."
The receptionist blinked slowly and sighed. "Perhaps I could call the room for you…"
Chad slammed his fist down on the marble desk top, an action which did not seem to have any immediate effect on the woman. "You don't understand! She might be passed out right now and…" He shuddered violently. "Okay…lady. We can do this the hard way or the easy way. The easy way involves you giving me the damn room number."
She almost smirked. "And the hard way?"
"That involves me searching every room in this place until I find her." On further reflection, it seemed that this would be a lot harder for him than for her. She seemed about to say so when:
"That won't be necessary."
Chad turned and felt his heart thump to life at the sight of Sharpay seated in the lounge, flipping through a magazine. He heaved an almost tearful sigh and rushed to her, tripping over a suitcase in the process.
"You're not drugged," he groaned, cupping her face in his hands and stooping to kiss her forehead.
"No thanks to you," she spat, pushing him back. Sharpay stood and brushed past him. He left her bag, his mind a whirl, and followed, telling the receptionist they would be back as he passed.
Despite the thrill of relief, Chad could not help a bit of disappointment. His climactic rescue had fallen flatter than one of Zeke's souffle. Still. She was okay. She was with him. And for the first time in a long time Chad was intensely happy. Sharpay, however, did not seem to feel the same.
"Where's the car?" she snapped, pink heels click-clacking on the ground.
Chad took her arm and pulled her back carefully. "You okay, Evans?"
"Oh. I'm fine." He tightened his grip as she tried to disengage. "Just a little disappointed," she continued. "'Cause you know. Lee, who is supposed to be such a nice guy, tried to drug me. And you," her voice took on an especially acidic tone, "who are supposed to care about me, didn't stop him."
"I tried!"
"Not hard enough!"
"And I do care about you. Sharpay, I-"
She wrenched her arm free with alarming force. "The only reason I am talking to you right now is that I need a ride home. Do not abuse the privilege."
Chad called after her as she walked away aimlessly. "Where's Lee?"
She stopped as if he had grabbed her again. Sharpay turned on her heel, a strange smirk on her lips.
"All doped up and tied to the balcony. He's kind of naked…"
"How did you-"
"Contrary to popular belief…I'm not an idiot. Your roofies comment in the library kind of put me on edge." She said this as a sort of admission. "And then he brought me here and accidentally booked one room. He kept trying to force drinks on me. I searched his pockets while he was in the bathroom and lo and behold- he's a two-faced weasel. So I swapped our drinks."
Chad resisted a grin. This was something serious and the hollow look in Sharpay's eyes betrayed the fact. "We have to call the police."
"Nothing happened."
"It could have."
Sharpay narrowed her eyes and took a few deliberate steps forward.
"So they get here and find what? Lee tied naked to a railing? They might just think I was trying to get off with him."
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard."
"That's pretty rich coming from you!"
As much as a petty squabble would have made him feel better, he resisted.
"Sharpay. We have to call the police. To scare him at least. It wasn't you, but it might be some other girl later. You don't have to talk to me. Just come inside and we'll call them." And he held out a hand, the only gesture he could think of to show support. At that moment Chad did not want to fight her or kiss her. He just wanted her to know that he was there.
She did not take it. But after a while she did draw her coat tighter around her and stomp back up to the quiet building, the occupants of which were probably having dinner in blissful ignorance…
Sharpay
Sheriff Valenti, for all his impressive airs (chiseled, sun-dried features, shiny badge and leather coat) was completely useless. Apparently, it was hard to arrest anybody for anything in this situation, even with Sharpay and Chad's statements. Especially with the fact that the alleged perpetrator was currently in the nude and rendered helpless by the drug he was allegedly in possession of. Said drug was nowhere to be found. Sharpay pointed out with a valiant attempt at patience that this was because they were in the drink. Valenti then had a heck of a time going on about lab tests.
In all fairness, though, he did let Sharpay slap the slowly awakening Lee around for a while before restraining her. He also agreed to put him behind bars for as long as it took his parents to come and get him. And so what seemed like hours later, Chad and Sharpay watched Valenti and his partner drag Lee away in a bathrobe, the Sheriff remarking that she was a lucky girl to have someone looking out for her.
"You hear that?" She could tell Chad was trying to lighten the mood. "Lucky." He failed.
She rolled her eyes and pushed her hands up through her hair, as Fulton hurried into the room.
"I am so very sorry, Ms. Evans," he murmured, patting her shoulder awkwardly. "I had doubts about that boy from the start. His father certainly frequents Lava Springs. But not for business!"
Sharpay was in no mood for scandal. Fulton suggested calling her parents, which she refused. He offered the room for free which she thankfully accepted. Sharpay wanted to be alone. Fulton obliged. Chad did not.
"Wow," he murmured, eyeing the flat screen TV. "Is this place something or what?"
She removed her coat and kicked off her shoes. "Go away."
"And abandon you to soak up all this luxury on your own?" He peered into the bathroom. "That would be inconsiderate."
Sharpay heaved a sigh, heavy thoughts seeping into her mind. She thought of the wasted weekend. She thought of the wasted relationship. She thought of the countless girls that had been tricked and taken advantage of by losers like Lee Truman. She thought of how she had almost been one of them. And all of a sudden she felt humiliated.
"Gimme a break, Chad," she muttered, moving towards the door. "I know you don't care about this stupid room. You've got a TV just like that at home. So just go. Go home." She thought of her home, and what her mother would say if Sharpay told her about the boy of whom she had so thoroughly approved. There was not much in Sharpay's life that her mother approved of. She gripped the doorknob.
Chad was standing next to her in the open doorway, silent. She thought of him leaving and was horrified to feel her eyes prickling with hot tears.
She bit her lip hard. "Am I bad?" she mumbled. "Am I not supposed to be happy?"
He put a hand over hers. She stared down at it. "Well, if you're bad I'm a hell of a lot worse." Chad hesitated. "Sharpay." Never before had the sound of her own name caused her to shiver. It did just then. "You make me happy. Nobody else. And if that's wrong…"
Sharpay looked up, on the verge of everything. Crying, hitting, kissing…"Don't you dare say if that's wrong I don't want to be right."
He smiled. "Sorry. That's the best I can do." She smiled. They kissed and closed the door…
Sharpay stirred quietly the next morning and as her thought process began to chug up to speed again, she figured this must be one of those waking dreams. Considering what had gone on the night before, everything felt too…good to be real.
She was warm and curled up against some figure that looked like Chad Danforth, her head resting on his steadily rising and falling chest, his arm about her waist. She looked down to his feet, which were adorned with a fetching pair of Superman socks. Sharpay snorted and bit her lip a second later, hoping not to wake him, lest she should break the spell.
Her hopes were in vain. "Don't laugh at my socks," Chad muttered, eyes still closed.
"But they're stupid. In a really cute way. I have a Cinderella pair anyway so who am I to chuckle?"
In case it was a dream, Sharpay focused hard on never waking up. She could not remember a time when she felt so safe. So openly, wildly loved.
"You do love me right? Or was I an idiot for saying it first?"
"What?"
"Don't answer my questions with a question!"
He snorted. "You really are as dumb as you look, Evans." She poked him hard. "I love you! Like a lot. Like…the words aren't enough, you know?"
"Well…I don't know. I think I know. This being in love thing is a first for me."
"Yeah. Me too."
They lay like that for another few minutes, just breathing. Chad's arm went for his phone and the bedside table. He turned it on, murmuring that he should have called his mother a long time ago. He had hardly started dialing when the phone began to ring. Chad sighed at the name of the caller and answered.
"Hey, mum. No. I'm not dead. I'm at Lava Springs." Sharpay thumped him on the chest eagerly and mouthed, 'Speaker.' He complied and Mrs. Danforth's demanding tone came through loud and clear over the phone, making Sharpay smile.
"So you just decided on an impromptu little weekend away, huh? And who did you think was gonna finance it?"
"The room's free and I'm with Sharpay. It's kind of a long story."
"Oh." Her tone was slow, pensive. "Did you use protection?"
Sharpay suppressed a shriek and Chad choked, "Mum!"
"Did you?"
"Nothing happened. We were just…sleeping. And stuff."
"Hm. Well, I hope you enjoyed the nap, sweetheart. But it's time to wake up. Taylor stopped by. Wondered where you were naturally."
And with that, reality came crashing into the room. Chad began to sit up. Sharpay grimaced and shifted off him, pulling her dress down over her knees.
"What did you tell her?"
"That you went to look for Sharpay. What else could I do?" she added at his exclamation.
Sharpay wondered why the hell he should be so het up about it. The truth was forcing its way to the surface, and she was more than ready to let it emerge.
She bit her lip in agitation at the look on his face as he hung up a few minutes later.
"Look," she muttered, pinching at the sheets. "If you're still all cloudy with doubt at this point…"
He put a hand to Sharpay's cheek, thumb tracing her bottom lip, and steered her gaze up.
"I'm ready."
A/N: I hope I didn't disappoint by not having Chad execute some dramatic rescue. I just thought it would work better if Sharpay sorted out Lee. She's tough enough to take care of herself, but she still needs Chad. Because she wuvs him (girly giggle)!
Anybody who ever watched the (sadly short-lived) 'Roswell' will know where I got Sheriff Valenti from (his appearance, not his character)! But even if you haven't it doesn't matter. I just miss 'Roswell'…
And as for the date-rape issue, I read up a bit on it and apparently it's hard for people to even determine what classifies as 'rape'. There're all these issues of gender, and sexuality, and individual responsibility. Sometimes I think the law is complicated just for the sake of it. But let's not dwell too much in that!
Review if you please…