Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter. You are all fabulous. Thanks for indulging me. This is the second chapter I have posted this week. So, if you missed chapter 21, please go back.
Chapter 22: How Chadwick Got His Groove Back
Late October 31, 2008, so late it might be November 1 at this point.
Every single muscle in Chad's body hurt. After a game in high school, he would have tons of energy to hang out with his friends and hit the after-parties. Unfortunately, that usual post-game high wasn't there anymore. Of course, he had better things to do than Halloween/celebration parties with people he really didn't like. Such as anything whatsoever involving his girlfriend.
He really didn't feel like partying anyway. Nothing like being yelled at for helping the team win to kill his desire to celebrate. Not surprising at all, Zach was the only person happy with his performance. Even the coach accused him of showing off. Despite Zach's invitation, Chad would not be participating in any post-game bonding/celebrations.
To avoid campus Halloween festivities, they decided to spend the night at Sharpay's parents' vacation house at Lava Springs. The vacation house is smaller than the mansion in town. It only has five bedrooms. However, Sharpay's room had a private hot tub. A hot tub, he was definitely enjoying as his girlfriend walked in wearing her trademark pink bathrobe.
"I thought you said you didn't want to join me," Chad said as Sharpay sat on the edge of the tub, dangling one foot in the water.
"I don't. I just figured I would have a better chance of having this conversation with you if you were too afraid to leave without showing me little Chad." She said, holding up the shorts he took off a few minutes earlier.
"You're so evil," he said as he went over to kiss her, but Sharpay pulled away.
"No kissing, until you tell me why you were so miserable down there tonight even though you won the game? Then maybe I'll think about joining you." She said as she took off her robe, revealing a bikini that made her swimsuit attire two years ago seemed tame.
In retrospect, the only thing that kept him from throwing her in the lake that summer were those bikinis. They inspired a few very inappropriate dreams where he removed them with his teeth. He should have realized then that he really didn't hate her. In his defense, he had similar fantasies about Ryan. It was a really confusing summer.
"I was not miserable down there," Chad replied with a pout that she usually gave him. Shar was really rubbing off on him.
"Yes, and we were just friends before you and Taylor broke up, and you never made out with my brother. Trust me, I know when you're miserable. The only time you were a little happy was when Penelope nearly sprained her ankle during the halftime routine."
"That was funny," Chad smirked. "Although Zach was upset. Apparently, he's friends with Penelope. I don't get it, but it's probably because he's too pure for this world."
"It was the only time you were not miserable down there. It feels like you lost your love for the game. You're still a great player. It's just you don't have the same passion for the sport."
It is hard to have passion for something that's no longer fun. There was no way he was going to tell her that. Nor was he going to tell her that he was thinking of not playing basketball anymore. He was exhausted, and there were other things he wanted to do, and not all of them were Sharpay. He could pick up another minor or another major. He wasn't sure he actually wants to stay in computer science much longer. There was a reason why he decided to finish up his general Ed classes this semester instead of doing more computer science classes. He was contemplating doing the same next semester. That definitely told Chad that his heart wasn't in it anymore.
"How can you tell? You didn't exactly go to many games in high school." He doesn't remember seeing her at that many games even after Ryan joined the cheerleading team. Only a few during her sophomore year with Kim. Who, in retrospect, was obviously there for Troy. Wow, he is oblivious.
"Between my mandatory acting classes, dance classes, and time spent with the voice coach, do you really think I actually had time to go to a basketball game in high school? I barely had time to eat. Trust me, I needed a personal assistant in high school. Even when Kim dragged me to a few games sophomore year, we had to lie to my mom. The only reason Ryan made it to any games was he convince mom that cheerleading was an excellent substitution for his dance classes. In addition to it looking good on his Juilliard application. Trust me, I saw you play a lot even though you didn't know I was watching."
He always assumed that Sharpay was the one who wanted to be the superstar, not that Darby was pulling all the strings. At least not until that conversation with Kim the night the video was made. Since college Sharpay has not gone to a single dance class, voice lesson, or yoga class. That made it obvious to Chad that Darby was the one forcing her to do everything. Although her Tuesday self-defense class was still a must. Which is understandable considering what happened with Ward earlier this year.
"So exactly when were you spying on me?" Chad asked her as he started to tickle the one foot she had dangling in the water.
"Do you remember when you were working at Lava Springs after everything calmed down that you and Troy use to play one on one on the private court in the backyard here?"
"Ryan said we could because technically it wasn't on club property." It was part of Ryan's effort for them to really be friends. This was good because Chad didn't want to spend any time at home while his parents divided goods and made custody arrangements. Divorce sucks, even when you are happy that your parents will no longer be together.
"I know. I gave Ryan the idea. It turns out from my bedroom I had an excellent view of you and Troy playing basketball shirtless." Of course, she said this with that trademark smirk of hers. Three months ago, he would say the only reason she did something like that was to drool over Troy. Now he knew better. They've been attracted to each other for years, even if they were not consciously aware of it. "Ryan watched with me, which is kind of how I figured out his crush on you."
"You're so evil. You realize that?"
"Darling, I'm just devious. You love me, anyway."
"I wouldn't be here otherwise. So what did you learn when you were gazing at my chest?" That earns him a quick kick from her. This only covered him in water and got his hair wet. He should award a shower cap.
"Every day that you and Troy would play, I would watch from my room. Not that I would admit it at the time, I realized you were fabulous out there. You could quickly figure out what he was doing next. It was like watching a choreographed dance. You were able to understand moves quickly that Troy would have to practice over and over again."
"You sure you were just watching us for your own pleasure?" He still had too much fun getting her angry over little things.
"Of course we were. You got to admit two hot, sweaty guys playing basketball is definitely a turn on. You are definitely my favorite now. You were having so much fun out there back then. Sometimes I wish I could be like that on stage in high school. Before last summer, I never really had fun performing. It was always about the best part and winning a trophy at any cost. At a certain point, I just got so tired of it." He understood what she was saying because he felt like he was falling into that same trap.
"Tonight, when I watched you, it felt as if something was missing," Sharpay said as she looked him directly in the eyes.
"Other than the fact that all my friends are gone." And a few of them aren't even his friends anymore. Zeke is definitely on the ex-friend list. Chad doesn't even remember the last time he texted Jason Cross. Jason automatically meaning Taylor's little brother in his mind, now told him that friendship probably wouldn't make it to the end of the school year.
"Maybe that has something to do with it. Although you and Zach have good basketball chemistry together." In a lot of ways playing with Zack feels like playing with Troy. It's natural, but nothing else feels that way.
"It has to be more than not playing with Troy anymore, though. You're missing your love for the game. That summer, I saw this fire in your eyes every time you're on the court. Despite what was going on in your home life. Baby, it is just not there." She was right. He's been feeling this way for a while, and he didn't think anybody else would see it, but of course, Sharpay would.
"You just talked about not having fun on the stage because it became about being the best and not about performing for the sake of performing. I used to play basketball because it was fun." Sharpay nodded her head.
"At some point, it stopped being fun. How can I have fun if everyone keeps saying things like 'Troy was a better player' or 'you're only on the team because you're fucking Mr. Evans's daughter.' We are not going to go into the homophobic comments because it's not like I actually can tell them that I am bi-ish. It's kinda hard to believe that I'm actually a good player when the coach and everyone else keeps comparing me to Troy." He never admitted that to anyone before. He never trusted anyone enough to acknowledge that sometimes he was jealous of his best friend.
"Actually, let's address the homophobic comments. I got called a cocksucker four times today, along with that other F word. They also keep referring to Troy as my boyfriend. I can't tell them that I'm non-heterosexual because it will just make it worse."
"I get that it's hurtful, and your coach shouldn't be letting them say that stuff to you. However, they are only saying that because they're jealous of how good you are. Also, they're insecure little assholes."
"That's obvious. That doesn't mean it's not hurtful."
"I know, baby. But let me tell you something that no one else knows. You are better than Troy Bolton in a million different ways. The basketball court just happens to be one of them. Although he might be a slightly better actor than you." Sharpay joked.
"Schools were flocking around Troy because of his natural leadership skills. The thing is, you were always the better player. U of A scouts got very serious about you once the people from the ivy league schools started showing up at the games. What school wouldn't want a guy who got a 2154 on his SAT and a 4.2 GPA."
A part of him does not believe her. He's too used to being in his best friend's shadow.
"You don't believe me. Come on, do you really think Stanford sent a basketball coach to talk to Gabriella about going to the school. They were trying to make it look less conspicuous. Everybody knows the schools were there for you last year. Well, everybody, who knew that you made freaky math girl seem of average intelligence." Sharpay said as she kissed him hard on the lips. Unfortunately, she overbalanced and fell right on top of him in the water. It was unfortunate for her but not Chad.
"I knew I would get you in here." He smirked. "Now, is there any chance that you'll be taking this barely a swimsuit off tonight?"
"Not a chance Danforth. You should be happy I'm in here with you when you're naked. It's going to take at least another month or a few glasses of wine before I'm going to be comfortable enough to do that."
She said it as a joke, but he knew that there was a certain amount of truth to her statement. Wasted on hard fruit punch, this beautiful girl in front of him had no problem propositioning him topless. Stone cold sober, and she was absolutely terrified of doing anything beyond very heated kisses. One of these days, he was going to kill Malick for screwing his girlfriend up so much.
He had no idea how to help Sharpay work through her fears about being physically intimate, despite the amount of research he has done on this subject. The fact that she got to the point where she trusted him enough to say the L-word was a miracle in itself. Fortunately, he loved her more because of her imperfections.
"You know we're taking this at your pace." He said to her as he placed his hand on her face. "If I wanted an easy lay, I would be with Blaise and Ginger."
"Even though you got them kicked out of our building, they still want to have a threesome with you?" Sharpay asked.
"Apparently, I'm the only one Blaise trusts enough to experiment with." Chad shivered a little bit. "I don't care about that. All I want is you. Good things are worth waiting for. I'll take whatever you're willing to give because I do love you." He said, reassuring her.
"This is exactly why I love you." he was almost sure he saw her tear up as she spoke.
XXXX
November 1, 2008, 7:04 AM Lava Springs basketball court
"OK, exactly why are we out here on the private Lava Springs court barely after sunrise?" Chad asked Sharpay as they walked onto the court. Despite it being November and so early in the morning, the place was quite busy. Nothing like busy executives trying to get a quick golf game on the weekend as soon as the suns up.
"Getting your love of the game back. After our conversation last night, I decided you needed an intervention. I thought about recreating the strip basketball scene from Love and Basketball, but I decided against it. First, knowing our luck, Kim would accidentally leave her camera on and catch the whole thing." Chad chuckled at that.
"Second, despite the flashcards, the only thing I know about basketball is that the balls are this hideous orange color, and I have to try to throw them through a hoop. Therefore you're going to teach me how to play." As soon as Sharpay finished explaining her plan, he gave her that 'I think you're crazy"look of his.
"I think I prefer the game of strip basketball. This isn't going to be like Troy trying to teach you how to play golf, is it? I saw you getting a hole in one when I was caddying for you instead of Troy." Chad caddy for her a lot that summer. She was always wearing skimpier outfits when he was around. They would spend the entire time arguing with each other. Then she would find herself getting really angry every time he kissed Taylor and make snide comments about it with Ryan. She was pretty sure that was their version of foreplay or flirting at the very least.
"I was following Darby's advice by making myself look weak to attract a man. That's the last time I listened to Darby about anything. Apparently, you love me exactly the way I am." Sharpay explained.
"I do," Chad said, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
"Growing up in the country club set, knowing how to play golf is a required survival skill. Fortunately, I inherited dad's golf skills, and Ryan inherited the baseball skills. Unfortunately, they were no basketball skills. In this case, I am actually going to be that bad." Sharpay told Chad honestly.
"How is this supposed to help?" she could hear the skepticism in his voice.
"I told you last night I was miserable at the end of my acting career at EHS. You saw how depressed I was trying to be Gabriella. The entire time I felt like everybody hated me because I had to be her. The harder I tried, the worse I felt. I was even considering just majoring in business after losing the Juilliard slot."
She couldn't believe she was telling him this. Ryan didn't even know about her considering leaving the theater for good. Although he was the one who suggested she double major in business in the first place instead of just acting, so maybe he wasn't completely oblivious.
"I'm glad you changed your mind. You are doing a great job with the play." She couldn't help but smile when he said things like that.
"Thank you. What helped me changed my mind was doing community theater this summer and helping out at EHS. Even though I want to strangle Tiara, I'm having fun working with Jason, Jimmy, Kerri, and Jackie. I figured if you share the game with me, maybe, you will rediscover why you loved it in the first place. If that doesn't work, if I get good enough, I might be willing to try strip basketball eventually." He had this look of absolute shock on his face.
"Why do you think we're at the private court here than at some of the courts on campus when I have to be back at EHS at noon?" Sharpay said as she threw the ball at him.
XXXX
Surprisingly Sharpay wasn't that bad. This definitely wasn't the golf fiasco. She picked up on things quickly. But then he remembered her doing that during the musical rehearsals. Unless she was screwing up on purpose to make Ryan or Troy upset.
This was the first time he had had fun playing basketball in forever, outside of the few pickup games with Zach. Even then, it was just a little fun. He was absolutely ecstatic right now. Although it may have something to do with all the kissing and extremely inappropriate touching that he would never do in a real basketball game.
"Are you happy right now?" Sharpay asked, sitting on the side of the court. She looked absolutely beautiful, covered in sweat with her hair in a messy ponytail in a pair of his old basketball shorts. He loves it when she wears his clothing.
"Yeah, I am."
XXXX
November 1, 2008, 1:15 PM
Chad: So Shar told me that you only suggested that Troy and I play on your private basketball court so you could and her could ogle us from the privacy of her bedroom. I'm sure wine was involved.
The good twin: When we were able to get away with drinking. Dad cared, but Darby didn't. You chose Taylor; therefore, I deserve some sort of consolation.
Chad: I chose stability in a really fucked up situation, and I got one more friend out of it. Which is good because I'm not talking to most of the old ones.
Ryan: We're not arguing this point. I'm too exhausted. I caught Kelsi kissing Natasha last night or rather this morning.
Chad: Shit! Are you OK?
Good twin: I am eating half-price Halloween candy at Maria's with Kristen.
Chad: That's the one person in your building that stood up for Sharpay?
The good twin: Yes.
Xxx
Chad should probably be studying right now. Instead, he's watching his girlfriend from the back of the auditorium with the occasional text message to Ryan. He would stay closer to the stage if Tiara didn't keep hitting on him just to set off Sharpay. Despite his girlfriend barely keeping herself from attacking the junior, she was definitely having some fun. Her smile told him everything. Chad had to send a picture to Ryan of this.
XXXX
The good twin: She seems happy. I'm glad she's happy acting again.
Chad: Shar is definitely more relaxed than last year despite the problems with the current production. Tia is still a bitch.
The good twin: She was last year too. You just didn't see it probably because people thought she was being Shar.
Chad: Making Shar play Gabby was a mistake. No one should have to play her worst enemy.
The good twin: You didn't exactly make it easy for her, with all the comparisons.
Chad: We were sanctimonious little pricks. We should have just cut Gabby from the show completely.
Chad: At a minimum, we should have had Tiara play the part.
xxx
Instead of typing, Chad took advantage of the fact that the iPhone had dragon and was dictating. He didn't think anybody else would be listening in the half-empty auditorium. He was wrong.
"That probably would've been most prudent. However, they say hindsight is 20/20. Besides, I doubt I would have been allowed to do that last year." Ms. Darbus said as she sat down next to him.
"Probably not. We essentially blamed Sharpay for Gabriella leaving for a program that she applied for." They were horrible to Sharpay.
"What exactly are you doing in my auditorium on a Saturday?" Ms. Darbus asked. "You did not like this place even when you were a student here."
"Supporting my girlfriend and making sure she doesn't maim Tiara. I don't know if they will let her stay on if she assaults another student." Chad wasn't entirely joking.
"I'm glad you two finally figured out that you actually have feelings for each other. After Sharpay's little fainting spell last spring, I was tempted to lock you two in a dressing room together. I must say you have been a tremendous influence on Ms. Evans. I doubt last year she could handle having someone else play a role that she wrote for herself."
"What are you talking about? I thought Kelsi wrote all the earlier stuff?" Chad asked, confused.
"Not at all. Sharpay wrote the original draft of the play and the songs herself. Unfortunately, Mrs. Evans threatened to pull out the Evans family money if we ran the production. Apparently, she didn't want anybody to know that Sharpay was more than just a pretty face. I've never met a woman other than maybe Zhēn Cáo that had so much fun screwing with her children's lives. Both are wretched women." Ms. Darbus muttered under her breath.
He couldn't believe that Darby would do something like that. Then again, according to Ryan and Sharpay, she is the original stage monster/manager. He also remembered that Sharpay and Mr. Evans were convinced that Ryan was with Kelsi to make Darby happy. Their fear had to come from somewhere.
"I'm just glad Sharpay has someone other than Ryan who supports her unconditionally. I doubt you would be here on a Saturday watching your girlfriend's musical rehearsals if you were not her number one fan. Shouldn't you be out making home runs or something?"
"OK, now I know you're doing that stuff on purpose. Even Sharpay knows more about basketball before the flashcards and our tutoring session this morning."
"So that's what they're referring to it as these days."
"We're not-we haven't -I love her- it's just," he was babbling, and he knew it.
"I don't need the details. Just looking at how you treat Sharpay, I can tell you give her the one thing she never really had before, pure unconditional love. As for what you do in your personal life, as long as it doesn't happen on school property, I don't really care." Ms. Darbus said with a slight shudder.
"Kim told me about the garden incident." Ms. Darbus's eyes went wide at that.
"I'm still trying to repress that. Then you must know that …" Ms. Darbus trailed off.
"Why Alex has the middle name, Troy? I found out more than a month ago. She told Troy a couple of weeks ago after Jack found out accidentally. Wait, you knew?" Chad asked, surprised.
"Did you ever notice that picture on my desk?"
"That was Alex. Why didn't you tell…" then he got it completely. Chad was the only one beside Troy that knew Ms. Darbus submitted an application on Troy's behalf to Juilliard. "That's why you submitted the application for him. "You were trying to get him to go to New York City, so he would be with Kim and Alex." Unfortunately, at that moment, Tiara and Jackie decided to stop playing nice.
"I really don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Danforth. Excuse me, I need to break up a catfight."
XXXX
November 5, 2008, 7:21 PM
Sharpay walked through the crowd of Evans Arena without being noticed. Because it was a school night, most of the people in attendance were not students. Those that were students were too busy celebrating or commiserating the events of yesterday to harass her. The Hope T-shirts were currently a favorite.
She was alone this time because everyone else needed to study or work. She probably needed to study for her chemistry lab tomorrow, but she promised Chad she would be here. She took her seat right behind the team's bench, wearing her custom-made number one fan T-shirt. Having half the school named after you does have its advantages sometimes.
XXXX
After Sharpay's Basketball intervention, Chad started to see what was really going on in the locker room. They wanted him gone, and they were using these head games to do it. Sharpay was right; they were just jealous. Chad realized he couldn't play the game only to please people who could never be happy. Maybe he would just have to find a new reason to play. As he walked in to sit down on the bench, he saw Sharpay sitting directly behind, wearing her custom number one fan T-shirt with his number on It. She was cheering louder than anyone else. In Sharpay's smile, he found his new reason to play.
To be continued...