Since last chapter was all about introducing Sharpay i figured now would be a good time to bring back a little bit of Chaylor. Plus i have up to chapter 54 written so that's probably another good reason to post something. That, and i uploaded this story yesterday so i figured i should at least post it before i forget to. XD Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The remainder of August was pretty boring. Without school to get ready for, it felt utterly pointless. Now having some sort of plan, Chad took the opportunity to relax and focus on Taylor. After all from what he heard from Cassie, grad school was a ton of work. He'd only have to take two or three classes a semester but the workload was insane. So if he had to be buried in schoolwork starting in the winter plus actually look at the schools and prepare in the time between, there would be no time for his girlfriend. Of course it would be nice if she shut up about Sharpay already. She interviewed the Ice Princess a month ago and wrote a stellar article; one would hardly realize the girls were some sort of enemies back in the day. Needless to say Taylor was still not thrilled that Sharpay was invited to Gabriella's wedding. She was surprised that Gabriella even invited her. Not that Chad enjoyed it either; he wondered if Troy had a say in that at all. But he would be sure to talk to Troy about it next time, or maybe when he and Taylor would visit. But it made no sense to dwell on something they had no control over. Sure, a few years ago Chad would've complained right along with Taylor, but he was in a good mood. Why bring it down? Luckily they had Doctor Who to keep them occupied. They still had a few episodes to catch up on, but when they scrolled through the channels and saw one of the Tenth Doctor episodes they just couldn't resist. They sat cuddled up on the couch in Chad's living room on a fairly warm September day just enjoying each other's company. But when he was with Taylor, Chad always had a little something extra on his mind.

"So what are the odds we can make this episode a little more interesting?" he asked innocently.

"But then we'd miss the best part," Taylor answered.

"Please. You're the best part," Chad grinned.

"So that's where you've been going with this," she teased. She was about to lean up and kiss him when the front door opened.

"Parents and groceries coming through," Mrs. Danforth announced. "Chad can you help us unload?"

"Sure," Chad sighed shutting off the TV.

"To be continued," Taylor whispered into his ear before following Mrs. Danforth into the kitchen. "Do you need any help?"

"It's fine, dear, we have Chad for that," Mrs. Danforth answered. "You just go back into the living room and relax."

"Or it might be a good idea to leave now," Mr. Danforth said bringing in the last of the bags with Chad. "I need a full report on Chad's job search this week."

Taylor raised an eyebrow at Chad. Chad recognized the questioning look. 'You didn't tell them?' That's what she was asking. He shook his head and put the bags down. "It's not gonna take long to tell much," Chad told his father.

Mr. Danforth sighed. "Son, you'd better not be slacking now. Do we need to have a talk about this?"

"Now Charlie, you're making Taylor uncomfortable," Mrs. Danforth said.

"Not much more comfortable for me, either," Chad mumbled.

Mr. Danforth eyed Chad before glancing towards Taylor. "I apologize, Taylor. You know how important work ethic is around here. I'm just trying to drill it into Chad's head."

"Of course," Taylor nodded though it didn't seem to help her much.

"But we all know Chad is trying very hard," Mrs. Danforth stated. She put a few cans into the cupboard and then snapped her fingers. "How about I give you a little extra money and you can take Taylor out for dinner tonight?"

"Honey we're giving the boy enough money as it is. We already pay for his food, gas for his car, not to mention his actual car…" Mr. Danforth started.

"So what's twenty more dollars?" Mrs. Danforth replied. "After all we have to apologize somehow for making the poor girl uncomfortable around us."

"Now why would she feel that way around us?" Mr. Danforth replied.

"Well for one thing, Dad, your zipper is down a little," Chad pointed out.

Mr. Danforth quickly untucked his shirt to cover his pants. "Twenty bucks it is," he muttered, trying not to show any embarrassment.

It may have been creepy and awkward, but Chad wasn't going to argue with the results. He'd get out of the house a little longer and score pretty much a free date with Taylor. Plus, he's seen his family be worse around her. There were the embarrassing stories his mother told about him, the baby pictures and nicknames. And Chad's seen some pretty embarrassing things in Taylor's family as well. Though, granted, the most embarrassing moment her family had to offer was a two-year-old Kari throwing up on Chad before one of their dates. But sometimes it was worth it.

"Meet you at the park?" Chad asked Taylor.

"I'll be waiting," she smiled. She pecked his cheek and then headed out.

The Danforth family finished putting the groceries away and then sat at the table. Mr. Danforth handed Chad a blank piece of paper and a pen. It was pretty standard, unfortunately. While Mrs. Danforth was more laid back, Mr. Danforth wanted everything figured out. He wanted to know as many details as possible and have a list. Chad understood it to an extent; his father often shared stories about growing up in a military family and traveling a lot. But to a point Chad found it OCD. At least, Chad thought that was right. It was either OCD or ADHD. Chad always got acronyms like that mixed up. He just didn't see why his father couldn't trust him and had to know every little detail of his days.

"Well? Aren't you going to write down your progress?" Mr. Danforth asked. "You know, we really should have a goal to work towards every week. Say, at least ten applications filled out? I think that's a good start."

Chad put the pen down and pushed the paper back to his dad. "There's nothing to report."

Mr. Danforth raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?" he questioned.

Chad knew his father wanted an explanation. He glanced to his mom, who was more concerned than anything else. It wasn't the same look his dad was giving him. Mrs. Danforth was more curious as to what her son was thinking. The look that Mr. Danforth gave was more 'what in the hell do you think you're doing?' But now was as good a time as any to share his plan for the next couple of years.

"The reason I haven't been looking for a job is because I'm going to grad school," Chad explained. "I talked with Cassie and she said there's nothing wrong with my resume. But my major, well a lot of people who go into education need a Master's to get a job. She suggested grad school and she's been sending me information about some schools and what direction I could maybe go in."

"Grad school?" Mr. Danforth questioned.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Mrs. Danforth said approvingly. "Education is always a bonus. And I'm sure when prospective employers see you went back to school for a few extra years they'll be pleased that you wanted to perfect your craft."

Mr. Danforth shook his head. "Don't give the boy ideas, Amanda."

"It's a perfectly good idea," she replied.

"Dad, Cassie looks at peoples' resumes for a living. She says it's a good idea," Chad pointed out. "Who's gonna give it to me better than that?"

"How about your parents?" Mr. Danforth replied.

"Well, I think it's a good idea," Mrs. Danforth stated.

"Because an extra degree looks good on a resume," Mr. Danforth repeated. "You know what else looks good to employers? Experience. You can't get that if you're busy doing more schoolwork."

"There are graduate programs. Some campuses put their students to work part time and for school credits," she said.

"And if I go to school, Mr. Evans already said I can email him about an internship," Chad added. "He doesn't need another worker right now so all he could take is a volunteer or intern. Dad, I could work with kids and teach them about baseball. That's perfect!"

"He has a point, Charlie," Mrs. Danforth agreed.

"One point. I have three points that say otherwise. Avery, Bethany and Chastity," Mr. Danforth responded.

Chad bit his lip. He should have known his father would bring his sisters into this. Not only did they all graduate Magna Cum Laude from their universities, but also within a few months they were all employed. Granted, Avery had a part-time job but by the following year she was working two part-time jobs. Mr. Danforth must have thought that because the girls were able to be successful so quickly it should be the same for Chad. Chad didn't like that logic one bit.

"But it wasn't like any of them went into nursing or education where they needed a few more years of school," Mrs. Danforth reminded her husband.

Mr. Danforth held up his hands. "Alright, let's pretend we're going this back-to-school route. How are you going to pay for it?"

"Um…well…" Chad stammered. This was one of the reasons he'd been hesitant on going back to school; he was pretty sure he'd be the one paying for it. Chad couldn't afford much right now and school was expensive. Like, insanely expensive. He'd have to take out student loans, pay back those loans in addition to eventually paying for a house and his car…. It was a lot of money.

"Depending on the school and its price, we could probably lay out the money. We have enough saved up," Mrs. Danforth suggested. "We can always make a chart after Chad graduates on how he can pay us back, maybe x amount of dollars every other month."

Mr. Danforth shook his head. "Amanda, that's making it too easy for him. We can't keep putting money out for everything he does. Chad has to learn to pay for things on his own and manage his finances."

"Sitting right here. I can hear you," Chad stated.

"Good," Mr. Danforth replied. "Because these are things you need to pay attention to."

"But what does it matter if I'm not making any money?" Chad replied. "Dad, I have to do something. Every day I'm sitting in my room at my computer looking at websites and when I'm not doing that I'm doing chores. I can't even get out of the house to do anything I want without you mentioning a job. I don't even know what I'm doing."

"Look Chad, I was easy on you when you graduated. But you finished school four months ago. I think you've been sitting home long enough," Mr. Danforth said.

"You're acting like I'm not doing anything! Don't you think I'm trying?" Chad questioned. The more his dad went on about this, the angrier Chad got. He hated the tone his father was using, he hated all this talk about money and he hated the topic of school or jobs or whatever it was anymore. He didn't feel comfortable talking about it anymore and quite frankly, he didn't feel comfortable talking to his father. Deep down Chad knew that Mr. Danforth cared, but with the way he was being talked to Chad was just having a harder time believing it. Unable to take it anymore, he stood up and grabbed his phone and house keys. "Don't wait up. I'll be at Taylor's tonight." He walked out and slammed the door behind him. Chad didn't even bother taking his car; he just walked to the park. Chad needed to blow off some steam right now and walking it out was the best option. Though he probably would have felt even better if he could go to the batting cages, even in his angered and somewhat irrational state Chad knew he could be there for hours and couldn't keep Taylor waiting for him. Yet he didn't even see her when he got to the park; Chad just found an empty spot on the grass to lie down and stare at the sky.

"Hey," Taylor greeted softly.

Chad saw her walk over to him, probably over from the swings. Normally seeing her would put him in a good mood but not today. He was still bummed.

"Hey," he sighed.

Taylor lied down beside him and cuddled close to him. "How did it go?" she asked even though she seemed to have an idea.

Chad really didn't want to talk about it so he figured he'd give her the short version. "I'm not going to grad school."

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I'm kinda low on this thing called money," Chad answered. "Mom's all for the idea, but Dad says I don't need school, I need work and if I wanna go back to school it's gotta come out of my own pocket."

"Did you try-" Taylor started.

"I tried and Mom tried," Chad interrupted. "You've seen my dad, when he thinks something nothing's gonna change his mind. He already used the three worst cases against me and their initials are B A C."

"Your sisters have nothing to do with you," Taylor said.

"According to Dad, they have everything to do with me," Chad sighed. "They were all working by this time that they graduated and look at them now."

"Didn't Avery go back to school?" Taylor wondered.

"To do hair like Mom, but Avery paid for that on her own after a few years," Chad answered. "The point is, they're all successful now and I'm just…blah."

"Bethany's a mail carrier," she pointed out.

"It's still a full time job," Chad stated. "And she can support herself and her kids on it. Dad-approved."

"That doesn't justify anything," she shook her head. "And it definitely doesn't make you 'blah'."

"Then why can't I get anything? Why am I sitting at home feeling like I'm not doing anything?" he questioned.

"Because some people don't have the common sense to email someone back if a position's already been filled," Taylor answered.

"That doesn't help," Chad said. "According to my dad, I'm just a failure."

"He told you that?" she asked shocked.

"Not really," Chad admitted. "But he might as well have. He sure made me feel like one."

"Well don't because you aren't one," Taylor said. "He just doesn't understand that everything isn't this easy for everyone. Maybe if Cassie talked to him…"

"It wouldn't make a difference. Even Mom couldn't change his mind," he said. "So much for all our plans."

"There's still plenty of time for our plans," Taylor said. "Cassie's always saying she needs an assistant."

"You're not serious," Chad said.

"What else am I supposed to say to cheer you up?" she asked. "I can't give you any guarantees. I can't say someone will call you next week or that your dad will come around about grad school. I can't pull magic money out of my pocket to make our lives start happening. What else am I supposed to say?"

Though Taylor probably didn't mean for any frustration to come out, Chad could hear it. He didn't blame her. Ever since they graduated it's been all about him. Him finding a job. Him wanting the future. Him not sure where life was going or how long it'd take to get there. And Chad knew Taylor was trying her best to be supportive and be there for him but it was starting to run thin. She was running out of things to say. It didn't matter how long they've know each other or how long they've been together for; eventually people ran out of things to say.

"You said everything," he admitted.

He wasn't sure what he did to deserve it, but Taylor pecked him on his lips. And as always, it got a smile out of him.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Didn't we have something to continue?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah we did," Chad grinned. He turned on his side and pulled Taylor in for a kiss, which she happily returned. Chad wrapped an arm around her and rested his other hand on her cheek. He smiled into the kiss feeling her hands trail down his chest, probably feeling his abs through his shirt, before they rested on his hips. He couldn't help but chuckle a little when he felt something vibrate against him.

"What are you doing down there?" he asked.

"Not doing anything," she replied pulling away. But she quickly caught on to what was doing something. She reached into Chad's pants pocket and pulled out his phone. "You have a text message."

Chad mentally scolded himself. He put his phone on vibrate after he left the house because he didn't want to talk to his parents. Right now he was just questioning what was worse – having a moment interrupted by a vibrating phone or a ringing one. He groaned and shifted onto his back.

Taylor shook her head and glanced at the message. "It's from your mom," she said.

"How does she know?" Chad gasped. Sure, Mrs. Danforth knew how to interrupt them when they were all in the house, but how did she know what they were doing now?

Taylor giggled. "Actually she said you forgot the twenty dollars when you left."

"So much for that date tonight," Chad said.

"Maybe not," she said. "Do you have your credit card?"

"The one my dad made me sign a contract for that's only for school supplies and emergencies?" he asked.

"That's the one," she nodded. "Your mom said to put dinner on that. She'll cover for you."

Chad raised an eyebrow. He sat up and glanced over Taylor's shoulder at the text message. It was definitely giving him permission to use a credit card for a date with Taylor. For a moment Chad thought he screwed their night over, along with his plans for the next couple of years. But maybe this was a second chance. It might have seemed like a trivial one, but for now it was good enough for Chad. He needed a little something extra to lighten the mood and spoiling his girlfriend would definitely do the trick.

"Looks like date night's back on," he said with a smile.

"Yes it is," Taylor said hitting a few buttons on the phone.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Turning your phone off. I think we've had enough interruptions today," she replied with a wink.

And this is also how we get to see more of Chad's parents and their interactions. In case you guys haven't noticed i'm kinda a fan of the opposites attract idea. xD But this chapter kinda shows that sometimes parents just don't agree with their kids on stuff and it helps establish more between Chad and his sisters and what he has to live up to with them. Also this gave Chad and Taylor an excuse to have some alone time so no one can really argue with that. xD I don't know if i'll be able to get another chapter up this week or if i'll be able to write at any point besides today, so we'll see when that leaves the next update.
But i do have a question to ask you guys, cause i do value your opinions. One of the next chapters i'm writing (which, for the record, you guys won't read for about another 30 chapters so please don't get this confused with anything coming up soon) is gonna involve a problem between Chad and one of his sisters. I ask this because this story does focus on Chad and Taylor navigating through things together, however i know that both of them can't solve everything together every time and once in a while it's going to be an issue for only one of them. So here's what i'd like to know: In a situation that causes a problem between Chad and one of his sisters should the focus only be on them solving it, or should Chad and Taylor each have their own chapter showing how they handle it? Personally, i can see that going either way and that's why i'd like another opinion. So if anyone has any suggestions about it i'd really appreciate it. I want to make this story the best that it can be and if sometimes that means asking for solid help, i'll do that.
I'd just like to end this chapter saying to everyone, thank you for reading and for the reviews. TheCreativePenguinLover, Chaylorfan123, Kaychaylorandetc, all the Guests, and everyone else thank you so much for the reviews and giving me a reason to continue writing Chaylor as much as possible! ^^ And to Aswaggie123, to answer your questions there will be answers later on as to why Sharpay was invited to Troy and Gabriella's wedding and no, i would never consider writing Traylor because my writing/heart/HSM obsession belongs to Chaylor. :)