Chad hadn't really planned on coming out of the closet halfway through his senior year, but after Troy and the rest of the basketball team had caught him making out with Ryan Evans, he really hadn't had much of a choice in the matter. All things considered, it could have been worse. It wasn't like people were giving him a hard time or anything – East High was actually remarkably accepting of most things. Unless they involved musical theatre. He and Ryan were accepted with open arms, like it wasn't even a big deal.
Actually, that wasn't entirely true. People accepted them, sure. But they were making a big deal out of it. In an over-the-top supportive way. It was actually starting to freak him out a bit.
Nearly overnight, the East High Gay-Straight Alliance had started up. Nearly every backpack in the school suddenly sported a rainbow flag. People in the cafeteria were loudly discussing that they had gay relatives. And Gabriella had even made it a point to tell Chad that he and Ryan should feel free to be as publicly affectionate as they felt was appropriate, and that nobody would mind. Taylor had stood behind Gabriella, nodding encouragingly the whole time. After that little speech was over, Taylor had even given Chad a kiss on the cheek and told him how proud she was of him for being true to himself.
Chad had actually asked Ryan what was up with Gabriella and the other girls after that incident, and Ryan had just adjusted his hat and smirked. Chad decided he was better off not knowing. He had never really understood girls anyway.
Chad had believed - hoped - that this too would pass. Nobody really commented on Zeke's baking or Martha's dancing anymore; it was just a part of who they were. He figured if he gave it enough time, the school would stop making a big deal about him being gay, and just acknowledge it as something that was a part of him, like playing basketball, or being Troy Bolton's best friend. He was sure if he waited long enough the school would find something new to gossip about, like the basketball team's chances of winning a back-to-back championship, or what sort of baked goods Zeke was going to try to woo Sharpay with this week, or whether Jason could actually pass the year. Chad knew that the first one especially was way more important than who he happened to be dating, and he was reaching the point where he thought the latter two were as well.
At lunch nearly a week after the outing, Chad took his usual seat at his table, only to see that Zeke had baked rainbow cookies. He sighed, and pushed the plate away from him.
Zeke looked hurt. "What's wrong? I made those cookies just for you."
Chad winced. He hadn't meant to hurt Zeke's feelings. Maybe he wasn't very good with guys either. But it sucked, because how could he complain about this? Everyone was being nice. "It's nothing," he said. "I guess I'm just not hungry."
Zeke looked confused. "You're not hungry? You're not sick, are you?"
Chad laughed. "No, I'm fine." He took a bite of a cookie. They were pretty good at least.
"Well, you'd better not be sick," Troy said. "I mean, you're still coming over for movie night, aren't you?"
"Of course, bro!" Chad said instantly. "I wouldn't miss it. What are we watching this time?"
"I rented Brokeback Mountain," Troy said. "I figured we could watch that."
Ryan started coughing from his seat next to Chad. It sounded suspiciously like barely-covered laughter. Chad glanced over at his boyfriend and raised an eyebrow. "You okay?" he asked.
Ryan nodded, taking a minute to compose himself while the group looked on in concern.
"Sorry," he said finally. "I just… Chad just came out last week. And you two are going to have a sleepover and watch Brokeback Mountain?" Ryan looked incredibly amused. "Is there something you wanted to tell us, Bolton?"
Troy froze, and Chad was torn between laughing at the look on Troy's face and hiding underneath the table. He couldn't be implying… Troy wasn't hinting at anything. He couldn't be.
"Ryan!" Gabriella said, shaking her head at him. "Troy isn't implying anything by his movie choice. He just thought that it might be good for him and Chad to bond over."
"You totally put him up to this, didn't you?" Ryan accused. Gabriella had the good sense to look slightly embarrassed.
"No, it's cool," Chad said. "We can watch Brokeback Mountain if you want to. I was thinking we'd watch an action movie - like we usually do - but okay.."
The bell rang, and Chad made a break for it. He could hear his friends calling his name, but he ignored them. He wasn't sure why he was so bothered by everything. His friends were just trying to be supportive.
"You all right?" Ryan asked, as he came up behind Chad.
Chad shrugged.
"Chad," Ryan shook his head. "Look, I know things have been awkward with your friends, but at least they're being supportive about it. It could have been…" He trailed off.
"Yeah," Chad said. "I just… I wish they would go back to normal."
Ryan looked confused. "What are you talking about, Chad? This is normal."
"They're acting totally insane," Chad said. "I mean, all week, it's been nonstop rainbow cookies and flags on backpacks, and suddenly Martha is asking me for boy advice, and everyone is…" He stopped, because Ryan was laughing at him. "What are you laughing at?" he accused.
"You!" Ryan said. "I can't believe you don't realize this is normal. Do you remember how you reacted when Troy wanted to sing? I mean, at least nobody has tried to break us up yet, or threatened us in any way. Not even Sharpay. And I haven't heard anyone saying that this would affect your basketball or something. Compared to how you guys treated Troy and Gabriella, they're being positively tame."
Chad thought about it. It wasn't nearly as bad as they'd treated Troy and Gabriella. And compared to the hell they'd given Martha about dancing and Zeke about baking… okay, Ryan had a point.
Ryan laughed. "You really were worried about this, weren't you?" He reached up to brush a finger gently over Chad's lips, and Chad let out a moan. Ryan smirked, and leaned in to kiss him.
Chad was vaguely aware of some sort of cheering from behind them, but he ignored it. He guessed that was what it like for Troy and Gabriella. Everyone at East High had always been over-invested in other people's love lives. It was normal for them, after all.