Would you tremble,
if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh?
Oh please tell me this.
Now would you die,
for the one you love?
Hold me in your arms, tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
Hero--Enrique Iglesias

"Shar, what does it mean when your ex-boyfriend comes up to you and asks if you have an extra pencil?" Emma asks as she is sat by her best friend and across from Kelsi and Ryan.

"That he wants a pencil?" Sharpay supplies while she doesn't even glance up from the script she's reading over.

"Sharpay, Kelsi! We need you on set!" Ms. Darbus' voice rings out and Sharpay sighs dramatically.

Kelsi rolls her eyes at Sharpay's behavior as this is something she didn't miss. She can handle hanging out with Ryan and Emma, but she can do without Sharpay.

"You look happy," Emma comments once both girls are out of the room and it's just Ryan and her in the dressing room.

He turns to her and sighs, "I am kind of happy."

Emma rolls her eyes, "You are always one to always find some kind of complication. So you two," she hints in a knowing tone while nudging his shoulder, "hitting it off again?"

"No. It's not like that anymore." Ryan insists while clearing his mind. She gives him a suspicious look. "Seriously, today I haven't even thought about trying to…do anything," he says awkwardly all of a sudden.

"But in the future?"

"Why are you so interested? Why can't two practically almost adults go out, break up, and now be friends?"

Emma shrinks back a little. "Sorry, just wondering."

Ryan sighs, "Nah, never mind. You're just being a friend."

"…yeah, just a friend."

To Gabriella it looks like four serious pissed off guys somehow connected due to the women in their lives, and they are not happy connections.

This isn't the first time that she has seen the guys play two-on-two. But this is the first time she's seen them play this school year and it's nothing like she's ever seen before. The tension that is building is becoming even awkward for her as she's at least thirty feet away from them and sitting on the outside metal bleachers while they're on the court. Gabriella thinks that it may even be worse than when their school goes against a rival school. At least then Gabriella knows that there's plenty of people around them, but now it's only Zeke, Chad, Jason, Troy, her, and the occasional student walking to get to the inside of their building.

It makes Gabriella curious how everyone was just out and about due to the sun, and now that it's night everyone practically runs to get inside. Maybe she is just used to this temperature since she used to spend some time in Maine over the previous six years due to her parents' divorce and joint custody.

The two teams have been set up the same. Troy and Zeke against Jason and Chad. Their records are practically even as Troy and Zeke have one more winning game than Jason and Chad. It seems to Gabriella that whenever Troy gets the ball, Jason's a lot more rougher with him on defense. Whenever Chad goes to shoot, Zeke's hand comes out of nowhere to block it. Fouls are happening left and right, but neither teams is calling them as it must be something to do with their pride and how well they can endure pain.

Gabriella sighs while closing her book. It's no use in trying to read as it's dark and the only lights are coming from the street lights from up above them that turn off when curfew sets.

"What's up Montez?" A smooth voice speaks as she nearly jumps out of her own skin as she was too transfixed on watching the boys practically take out their stress and worries on the court, and on each other.

Gabriella lets out a little yelp; Jason and Troy are both stunned by this and freeze for seconds.

"Don't do that Kent." Gabriella pants and looks around worriedly out of habit.

He looks at her sheepishly while making himself comfortable in the spot next to her. He's still sweaty and has his shin guards on so Gabriella knows he must've just come from soccer practice.

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to do that." He puts his arm around her in a half hug and Gabriella can't help but get flashback from sophomore year; the year she slept with him.

She finally realizes that he's more than damp from sweat, he's practically leaking it, but yet he still smells the desirable scent girls talk about.

"Eww, you're getting me all wet Kent!" She squeals while pushing him away; not realizing what implications that could mean to the boys on the court.

Troy goes to shoot, but doesn't release the ball while landing on the balls of his feet. He swivels his head to see Gabriella and his eyes bug out at what she just squealed with laughter, and the two continue to animatedly talk.

"Traveling." Jason calls.

Jason takes the ball from Troy who grumbles, "I hate that guy."

"Join the club." Jason says darkly.

"Kelsi, I was wondering if you were gonna be around Saturday? I was kind of hoping you were one who doesn't go on the Spanish field trip and can help me with my solo?" Emma asks as Ryan, Kelsi, and her are walking towards the outside basketball courts.

Kelsi rubs her thin fingers together as the temperature is dropping. Although it's not freezing, it feels like it is since she's used to the hot temperatures of New Mexico.

"Yeah. Just stop by my room and I'll help. I'm this way guys," Kelsi points in the left direction while their dorms were in the right. Emma and Ryan give her confused looks, "I told Jason I might stop by. You guys can come too, it's not just us down there."

Ryan looks at Emma who shakes her head, "Sorry, have an early class. I'm out you guys." She starts walking away knowing Ryan is going with Kelsi without question.

"Do you want my jacket?" Ryan asks as they start walking down the slight slope in the path.

"Nah, I can deal. Thanks though," she looks at him shyly.

--

"Who's winning?" Kelsi voice floats through the air as she and Ryan take seats behind Kent and Gabriella on the bleachers.

"No one really knows," Kent says slowly as Gabriella's and his eyes are glued on the guys who are starting to get winded down.

It doesn't take long for Kelsi and Ryan to be immersed within the basketball game, but after a while Ryan sees Kelsi tremble a little while rubbing her hands together.

"Here," Ryan states while taking off his red and white light weight jacket and draped it over her shoulders; this going noticed by Jason who drops the ball he's holding in shock.

"Thanks," Kelsi says quiet while wrapping the jacket around her small body even tighter.

"I think that's game." Zeke pants while Jason and Troy follow his lead by starting to head over to the bottom of the bleachers where their things are.

"Oh come on, it's hardly game," Chad scoffs while reluctantly following their lead.

"We've been at it for hours!" Zeke exclaims in disbelief that Chad wants to keep working. "I'm surprised you can still stand."

"What does that mean?" Chad hisses in great defense; probably more than normal due to the lack of sleep he is getting along with baseball and track practices mixed with basketball.

The four friends on the bleachers look around alarmed at how the guys' behaviors are escalating. Gabriella is the first one to move as the three follow her by standing up and stepping down onto the damp grass.

"Dude, calm down. I don't think he meant anything by it," Jason states while shutting his water bottle.

"Yeah man, chill. I just meant with the three sports you're playing, and then of course you're actually studying. You're Spanish project went really well today." Zeke says.

The seven other teenagers there can hear the understatement to that last comment. It's not just Zeke congratulating Chad. It's him pointing out that Chad has all this time to spend with Zeke's girlfriend.

"Do you have a problem Baylor?" Chad calls him out.

"Whoa, let's just back this up guys." Troy nudges Chad back. "Go for a walk Chad."

Everyone completely ignores Troy's instructions. There's a first time for everything.

"Yeah, I actually do have a problem. I have a problem that you're ALWAYS with Taylor!"

Flames are being ignited and nothing can blow out the fuse that started between Zeke and Chad. It's been eight long months since Zeke and Chad had a proper conversation, and now an argument is to replace that.

The two girls are surprised that neither one has made a move to start something more physical as you can feel the tension between the sweaty guys. Gabriella and Kelsi share a look before looking more hesitant towards the basketball guys. Kelsi can't help but shake a little while being hit with a cold wind.

"Are you still cold?" Ryan asks Kelsi as she shivers again when the wind picks up a little.

"Obviously, hence the shivering." Jason snaps and Ryan narrows his eyes. "Here Kelsi, I have some gloves in my bag."

"Or I can just give her mine." Ryan takes off his black gloves and hands them to a stunned Kelsi.

Somehow within the two different conversations going on, Gabriella finds herself tuning into both of them at the same time while slowly backing up to the point where the back of her knees hit the bleachers.

Kent's at her side too while staring at her friends through big eyes.

"This is one of the reasons why I don't stay in one group for too long," he whispers quietly to Gabriella who numbly nods. It feels like a line is being drawn between her friends, but maybe the line was already there? It's just becoming permanent.

"Smart move," she whispers back as everyone knows that Kent is one of the most popular kids at the school seeing as he basically sleeps around with anyone who wears a skirt, although he is also one of the nicest guys too.

Troy hears Jason and Ryan lowly talking; the Jason/Kelsi/Ryan triangle finally coming to surface between the three. It's kind of sad considering Ryan and Kelsi just got onto good terms with each other again.

"Maybe if Bolton here wasn't fucking with Sharpay's feelings then I would have more time for Tay." Zeke hisses, and that pulls Troy into this argument.

"Time-out here! What do you mean by that?" He spits out and steps past Chad.

"Maybe if you weren't busy 'drawing', whatever that means, with Gabriella then things with Sharpay would be better." Zeke says with much more anger than usual.

"Guys, just cool it. We can all get along," Kelsi says in a small voice as she stands in the middle of Jason and Ryan.

"Who are you trying to kid? You can't seriously expect me to believe that you're just friends." Jason blocks out what Kelsi just said and continues to glare at Ryan.

"Yeah, I do. It's kind of like how you and Gabi are. Just friends, right?" Ryan taunts as Kelsi looks panicked.

"You guys, come on. Just stop, please? Ryan and I are just friends Jase." She looks up at him, but he doesn't even glance down.

"Just friends?" Jason asks gruffly while glaring at Ryan who is smirking a little. His eyes are taunting Jason as Kelsi's too busy staring up at Jason to see behind herself.

"Yea," she breaths out thinking that Jason is cooling down with her answer in this situation. "Just friends."

"You might want to tell him that!" Jason snaps.

"Why don't you watch who you're talking too. I don't think Kelsi appreciates getting talked to in that tone." Ryan muses with a crooked smile. Jason knows friends don't look like that.

Jason walks past Kelsi. "I'd back up if I were you," Ryan advised as his tone changed drastically.

"You guys!" Kelsi screeches. "Just stop!"

"Do you have a problem with me?! Because if you do I'd really like to hear it!"

Ryan shrugs with a glower to him. "I'm pretty sure I don't, but maybe if you round up your groupies then we can talk." Ryan turns towards Kelsi. "You do know about his track record, right?"

"Why don't you just back off. It's obvious you're scaring her." Jason snaps as Kelsi backs away from the two furious boys. Jason walks closer to Ryan and tweaks him on the shoulder. "Mind your own damn business."

"Fine." Ryan makes a half turn as if he's actually going to walk away, but what he did next surprises everyone; enough to make Troy and Zeke stop hissing at each other and stare. Ryan cocks back his arm and swings full blast at Jason's jaw and watches as he doubles over while clutching his injured face.

Jason's reflexes aren't slow as he stands up and clenches his fists. He swings back in retaliation and hits Ryan in the lower stomach.

Kelsi backs even more away, and opens her mouth to speak, but finds it impossible. Instead she does the one thing that comes to anybodies mind: she runs.

Neither boy notices as they claw at each other that the girl that they're fighting for is missing.

--

Neither Troy nor Zeke notice that somehow Chad calmed himself out of the argument that originally started between Zeke and him, and is now staring in disbelief.

"Knock it off you guys!" Gabriella scolds frantically as she looks to where you can see Kelsi's retreating back becoming a mere dot in the distance now. "KELSI!"

Kent senses Gabriella's distress and usually he would let fights happen, but instead he starts after Ryan and yanks him back with full force.

As much as Chad wants to keep watching Zeke and Troy slam each other, he thinks they're done as he realizes that everything is fucked up. What the hell are they doing fighting? Especially about girls?!

Chad moves quickly and grabs Jason by the back of his shirt and whips him around. "Knock it off man." Chad warns lowly.

Troy is breathing heavily as he glances at Gabriella who's trying to calm Jason down with no avail. He knows what he's doing is wrong. Fighting with Zeke over Sharpay and Gabriella, and Gabriella isn't even his girlfriend. It's a sign. A sign that tells him what he has to do; what he should've done a long time ago. It is time to say goodbye to Sharpay Evans.

"Fuck you Baylor," Troy growls while starting to walk away, but something about the way he chuckles, the way he's smiling and taunting him makes Troy turn back around. "Shouldn't you be worrying about your own girlfriend instead of mine?"

Zeke takes a step closer, "Someone has to satisfy her."

Troy can't contain it as he pulls back his fist and jams it into Zeke's chiseled stomach. Troy pulls back and flexes his fist; it hurts a lot more than what he thought it would.

--

Ryan breaks free of Kent's grip and goes to punch Jason, but Chad yanks him back yet again and instead ends up getting a split lip from Ryan before Kent can pull him back.

"Oh my God…" Gabriella breaths out as she sees Zeke give Troy one really good punch to the ribs. "Stop!" She yells as she forgets about soothing Jason or pushing Ryan back and goes to intervene with Troy and Zeke. "What the hell are you guys doing?!" She demands.

Troy punches Zeke in the face, but Zeke is quick to come back and knock Troy in the eye.

Gabriella feels her head spin as she just watches and quickly turns around to see that at least Ryan and Jason have stopped. They both have some cuts, and Ryan is holding his side in pain as they're both breathing heavily, but they've stopped.

Gabriella doesn't think as she puts herself in the middle of Troy and Zeke and tries to push Troy back. "Knock it off Troy!"

He pushes past her as it's too hard to tell as their fists collide with skin. Gabriella's jammed in the middle; trying to get the two separated. Trickles of blood land on the perfect cement and every boy there knows that they're not gonna be able to forget this fight. Growls of frustration can be heard along with Ryan, Jason, and Chad's heavy breathing.

Gabriella gets shoved out of the way, and she knows that she's completely lost it. She launches herself in the middle of the two enraged boys, and no one knows what truly happened, as a fist came out of nowhere and collided with Gabriella in an attempt to hit the other boy.

Gabriella's face flings to the side and she stumbles back, and Jason rushes forward along with Chad to steady her. Zeke and Troy stop frozen as Gabriella's yelp is heard.

She gingerly turns her head back and fingers her side of the face where a bruise is surely gonna be; staring at the two boys who are breathing raggedly.

"Brie…" Troy starts to say, but doesn't know how that happened. One minute him and Zeke are fighting over something so inconvenient, and the next Gabriella is getting punched in the face?

"Gabi…" Zeke adds while trailing off and wiping his torn fist on his used to be perfect white t-shirt.

"Don't." Gabriella whispers while she backs away, and out of Chad's and Jason's reach. "Just don't." She says with pain, but not from the punch, from the pain of watching five friends fight over something as simple as girls. Or at least as simple as they get.

"Are you okay?" Jason asks right away. All of a sudden everything to him seems like it doesn't matter. One of his best friends is obviously hurt, and it's partly his fault.

Gabriella's eyes connect with his, "I think we both know that I've taken harder hits than that." There's a silence as Gabriella takes her hand down from her bruised skin. "God you guys! Don't you see what you're doing?!"

They're silent.

"You guys are beating each other over what?! A bunch of girls?! Pathetic," Gabriella spits out. "This isn't what senior year is about. It's supposed to be about being with your friends one last year, it's about having fun, pulling pranks, winning trophies, and God, dare I even say it? It's about schoolwork!"

"Brie, we're sor--"

"Don't come near me." Gabriella walks backwards and doesn't turn around to stop facing them, as if she's afraid that they'd jump her if she did look away. "Just don't. How about instead of seeing if I'm okay, why don't you ask yourselves that. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go back to my room. Jason, there's no way I'm going on a walk with you tonight."

"Gabi, it's dark out." Jason points out and Gabriella stops on the edge of the pathway. "At least let me walk you back."

She bites her bottom lip nervously and looks around for the first time and notices that the overhead lights are turning off slowly, one-by-one. She does the only thing she can think of.

"Kent, can you walk me to my room?"

He looks around unsurely as Jason and Troy are sending him daggers, but walks over to Gabriella anyways. "Yeah. Sure thing Montez."

The last thing Taylor expected was to answer the door to her room and find Chad there with a split lip looking miserable.

After coming home from tennis practice Taylor sat down to finish up an assignment for her advanced math class, and English class. She figured that she should probably finish the two things before the weekend comes and she's scrambling around on Saturday after coming back from the fieldtrip, and then going straight to tennis practice.

But here she is, looking at a Chad who she doesn't recognize. Screw her English paper.

"What the hell happened?" She asks in a whisper considering it's past curfew by a good couple of minutes, and their dorm advisor who just happens to be the known Ms. Darbus has her room next to Taylor's.

Taylor doesn't wait for Chad to say anything as she slowly coaxes him into the room by putting her hand gently on his shoulder--not sure if there's anything else wrong with him--and leads him to her bed.

Chad's in shock. And when he goes into shock he goes with his first instincts. He throws out all rational thoughts that tell him to go back to his room, go back to where his best friend is to hear him muttering in coherent words about how screwed he is with Gabriella.

Instead his first instincts told him to go to where he felt the most comfortable, and despite the fact how messed up this year has been so far with their friendship, he still feels comfortable around Taylor. Around her he can be his funny self, arrogant self, relaxed self, or his sensual self. He can let down his most guarded barriers and just tell her what he's actually thinking. People would be surprised if he actually told them what goes on in his brain.

"Are you okay?" Taylor asks as their three years of friendship comes down to this moment.

"No." He answers honestly. "No I'm not."

Taylor opens her mouth to say something, anything to calm his distraught self, but he cuts her off.

"Because in a matter of months we'll be filling out college applications, retaking tests that we crapped out on last year, graduating, and eventually moving on, and I don't think you understand." His tone is quiet, but yet he gets his point across firmly.

"Understand what Chad? Understand what?" She coos.

Chad shuts his eyes for a brief second. How much more can their friendship get fucked up?

He looks deeply into her dark eyes that have speckles of light in them. "Understand how much I care for you." He hesitantly reaches up and touches her cheek.

She doesn't pull away.

"Understand how much I want to be with you. Understand how long I've waited for you." He whispers breathlessly.

There's a feeling in the pit of Taylor's stomach. It's a sign, neither good nor bad. A sign that she can learn to ignore.

"Chad, you know I'm with Zeke."

He merely scoffs, "I think we both know that's been over a long time ago." He looks deeply into her eyes still. "Tell me you don't feel anything. ANYTHING at all and I'll stop."

"Stop what?" She asks in an unknown husky voice that's just hanging onto every word he's speaking.

He slowly leans in. while his thumb that's softly stroking over her cheek doesn't stop it's ministrations. "I'm gonna start kissing you, and when I do, I don't know if I'll be able to stop. So tell me, tell me that you don't feel anything, and I'll leave right now."

Their eyes don't leave each others, and the feeling in Taylor's stomach grows three sizes too much. And that's when she realizes it. It's not a pain of guilt, sorrow, or regret. It's a pain filled with anticipation. Anticipation of what's going to happen…with Chad.

Chad takes that she isn't pulling a way a sign that he should continue, and that he does.

Their lips meet in a soft, yet lustful passion, and Taylor gingerly wraps her arms around his neck; bringing him closer.

Butterflies erupt in her stomach as she hasn't been kissed this thoroughly in what feels like forever. He slowly lowers her down on the bed so they're parallel to each other. Their lips never breaking in contact.

Soon the kisses became urgent. The more they did the sinful act, the more they crave it. Hands run through hair, over clothes, over indescribable body parts.

Chad breaks the kiss once he feels Taylor's hands slowly go for the hem of his shirt. He leans his forehead down on hers.

It's as if they can read each other's mind through their eyes. Chad's asking her if she's sure about what they're doing, and Taylor's quickly asking herself that too before her hand starts moving again and the shirt is discarded on the ground.

Taylor's yellow tank top is soon to follow, and if Chad was being his usual self, he would've made some smart ass comment about her wearing no bra, but Taylor knows there's something different. Something different about him right in that moment, and all of a sudden all hand movements stop from him, and she's growing impatient with his waiting.

"What are you doing?" She asks with an irregular breathing pattern.

"…memorizing."

A smile breaks out on Taylor's face, and she's never felt so wanted before.

He lowers his head again and their lips meet in a hurry. Their hands pick up from where they were before. Her hands are playing with fire as her fingertip dance along the hem of his athletic shorts.

Chad kisses down her neck and to her bare chest while sucking ever so lightly; emitting a light moan from Taylor's mouth.

As their legs tangle Taylor is brought back into reality as she can feel the semi bulge in his shorts.

She should stop. She has Zeke and he says he loves her, and vice versa. But what if love isn't enough? She wants to feel wanted, and right now Chad is doing everything she should be doing with Zeke, but she can't find enough will power to stop him at the moment.

She runs her hand over the red material, and feels him get just the little bit more harder within her grasp. She bites back a hungry moan as his teeth swirl around her nipples on her supple breasts.

He rolls his hips over her to let her know even more just how much he wants her.

Taylor gently guides the shorts and his boxers down his muscular legs at a snails pace.

"God Tay," Chad moans into her neck as soon as he kicks the shorts and boxers down the rest of his legs and to the floor. "What are you doing to me?" He whispers to himself more than anybody else.

She leaves butterfly kisses over his chest and shoulders, her fingers getting closer to the now fully erect penis.

His breathing hitches in his throat as he pushes past the pleasure knowing he won't last long if he concentrates at all on what Taylor is doing to him, and instead busies himself with gliding her boxer shorts down her dark legs, and leaving her in a pair of lace panties.

Her hand starts moving up and down while her eyes flutter close. The emotions Chad is making her feel while kissing around her most private regions is sending sparks through her body.

Their bodies mold together while Chad takes it upon himself the job of getting rid of the last article of clothing between them.

"You're so beautiful Tay." He whispers against her neck while sucking with more force, his need for her taking over. She's pumping more vigorously now, and he knows he needs her, if anything, more now than ever.

He trails a line of kisses up her neck, jaw line, and to her lips where they meet in a slow passionate kiss. "Are you sure?" He asks.

As if they're eyes are telling them what they need to know, Taylor lets go of Chad, and spreads her legs a little wider. He gradually guides himself into Taylor in one sleek motion; both bodies adjusting to each other.

The want and need for each other visible within each look, touch, and moan.

"Are you ever gonna tell me what happened to your lip?" Taylor asks in the quiet air as they lay cuddled together under the covers.

Chad shuts his eyes while Taylor adjusts herself on his chest. She doesn't see the distant look on his face as he remembers what went down on the basketball court before.

"…It doesn't matter right now."